Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV)

Swift proposes to design, fabricate, and fly a Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) 30-day mission HALE UAS with flight tests including: 24-hrs, 48-hrs, and 7-days during the Phase 2 timeline. All operations, ground control, safety, reviews, and payload will be included in these test flights and within the proposed 2 year timeframe. Zephyr is the only platform that has achieved HALE flights for over a week (14 days), however, it is based in the UK. No US company has a HALE platform that can confidently sell to the US government/NASA with a confirmed multi-week endurance. Without investment, the US will have to rely on the European-based Airbus/Qinetiq Zephyr solution. Swift's innovation is a UAV designed for at least 30-day endurance (nothing exists like this) mission capabilities; the functionality to station-keep at altitude (50-60 knot cruise speed), the ability to take-off and get to altitude in 1-2 hours, a fully electric system, the ability to store and transport in a 40 ft shipping container, the ease of use (2-3 persons), and a cost and schedule that is aggressive but within Swift's experience and capabilities. Swift will design, fabricate and fly a UAS capable of 30-day endurance with the possibility to exponentially decrease costs and increase data provided to industries. System testing will include multiple subsystem and system on-the-ground tests and flights for 24-hrs, 48-hrs and 7-days will be completed at Yuma Proving Grounds and/or NASA Armstrong. Swift will leverage 15 years of UAV and project management experience with multiple large (50+ ft) structural builds to reduce programmatic risk and meet the aggressive milestones within 2 years.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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