AeroVironment, Inc, an American defence contractor, has announced the launch of its new Vapor helicopter unmanned aircraft system/vehicle (UAS/V), the Vapor 55 MX.
The company claims the new model offers increased endurance and improved payload capacity to meet the requirements of defence and commercial customers.
“The new Vapor 55 MX is an easy-to-maintain system that incorporates a highly versatile modular architecture and tool-free rail system for simple, efficient integration of third-party or custom payloads, allowing users to adapt to multi-sensor, multi-mission requirements including utility inspection, aerial surveying, public safety and defence applications,” said Trace Stevenson, vice president and product line general manager for small UAS at AeroVironment.
The Vapor 55 MX’s design reportedly allows the helicopter UAS to stay in the air for 25% longer and operate in all weather conditions.
According to AeroVironment, it is also heavy-lift capable, works for both single and multiple payload configurations and can support up to 12lbs (5.4kg) of payload with more than 70 minutes of flight endurance. In addition, these operations can be achieved while maintaining a gross take-off weight (GTOW) of 55lbs (24.9kg).
The contractor also claims that, for customers that need a larger take-off weight, the Vapor 55 MX is also capable of a GTOW of 65lbs (29.5kg) and can carry up to 22lbs (9.9kg) of usable payloads with a reduced endurance trade-off, putting it near the edge of a Group 3 weight class.
