Aurora Flight Sciences Orion to fly again

The record breaking Orion from Aurora Flight Sciences is slated to take flight again. Its been in storage after the USAF said they didn’t need it.

Orion first flew in 2013 and set a record for duration of flight. The record was awarded based on the aircraft’s 80-hour, 2-minute and 52-second flight that took place  December 5-8, 2014. The previous record for the same class of unmanned aircraft was just over 30 hours, set by a Global Hawk in 2001.

Aurora state that the Orion should be able to fly for 120 hours with a 454kg payload.

In 2015 air force deputy chief of staff for ISR, Lt Gen Robert Otto told Flightglobal

“I don’t see us in the current fiscal environment wanting to invest in that to bring it forward,”

“Next year it may be something different. Next year, US Africa Command might look at it and say it’s a [joint urgent operational need] that would change that answer.”

Well its rolling out of the hanger again and Aurora are not saying for who.