Boeing Condor

The Boeing Condor is a high-tech test-bed piston-engined aerial reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle with a wingspan of over 200 feet (61 m). Carbon-fibre composite materials make up the bulk of the Condor's fuselage and wings. Although the Condor has a relatively low radar cross-section and infrared signature, it is not unobservable, making it too vulnerable for military use. The Condor is completely robotic, with an onboard computer to communicate with the computers on the ground via satellite to control all facets of the Condor's missions. The Condor's frame is made of mainly carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composite, with very low radar and heat signatures. The Condor had a 141-hour flight test program and first flew on 9 October 1988, with two built. In 1989, the Condor set the world piston-powered aircraft altitude record of 67,028 ft (20,430 m) and was the first aircraft to fly a fully automated flight from takeoff to landing. It also set an unofficial endurance world record in 1988 by flying continuously for more than 50 hours, though the flight was not ratified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and is therefore not considered an official record. During its evaluations, the Condor logged over 300 flight hours, flying over Moses Lake, Washington.

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