Pendleton Range to test ArcticShark

ArcticShark – a groundbreaking new unmanned aerial system designed to collect the world’s most sophisticated atmospheric data in the Arctic – will undergo flight testing at Pendleton UAS Test Range. Testing began February 27.

To be owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility, a DOE national scientific user facility, the ArcticShark will eventually be equipped with more than a dozen different instruments designed to record the most sophisticated measurements ever gathered about Earth’s atmosphere and thus help scientists better understand one of the most sensitive regions of the planet.

With a wingspan of 22 feet and a gross takeoff weight of 625 pounds, the ArcticShark, an unmanned aerial system (UAS), can fly up to 15,000 feet and has a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour. Flight testing and pilot training of the ArcticShark at Pendleton is expected to take place almost daily from Feb. 27 through March 17. The UAS is scheduled to begin field research in Alaska starting in 2018.