The Aerosonde® aircraft’s original design specifications were developed around the requirements of scientific applications, primarily meteorological missions. As such, the fundamental goals were endurance over long ranges, reliable performance in varied terrains and climates, and competitive cost for data collection missions.
Through continuous design and development efforts, today’s Aerosonde system meets the rigorous needs of applications for scientific, civil and military customers. Review our product development timeline to learn more about the Aerosonde aircraft — yesterday, today and tomorrow.
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1995 |
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The first major development program for the Aerosonde aircraft began in Australia, largely funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research.
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1995-1999 |
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The original Aerosonde aircraft model was introduced to accommodate the unique needs of scientific applications.
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1997 |
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The first fully “robotic” flight incorporates fully automatic takeoff and landing. The aircraft flew in “autopilot” mode from launch to touch-down.
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1998 |
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The aircraft passes a comprehensive trial conducted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. In this year, the Aerosonde also became the first unmanned aircraft to cross the north Atlantic Ocean, a flight of 3,270 kilometers. The mission was completed in 26 hours and 45 minutes.
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1999-2002 |
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A new aircraft model is introduced to provide increased endurance and enhance engine reliability.
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2003-2007 |
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The aircraft went through numerous upgrades with state-of-the-art avionics, winglets and new, cutting-edge payloads for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. These include an electro-optic/infrared payload for military applications. Many of these enhancements stemmed from lessons learned during our deployments in the Arctic for scientific missions.
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2009 |
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2009 was a year of great development for the Aerosonde fleet of small unmanned aircraft systems. The aircraft flew its first missions in the Antarctic, logging more than 130 flight hours and nearly 7,000 miles during 16 flights. In addition, the Aerosonde Mark 4.7 system was introduced with enhanced capabilities. It can be launched and recovered from confined areas or from shipboard using AAI’s new integrated launch and recovery trailer, or LRT.
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