Lockheed Stalker Drone Completes World Record 39-Hour Flight

A modified Lockheed Martin Stalker VXE drone completed a world record 39-hour flight with the Trillium HD40 gimbal on board. This flight was nearly five times longer than the average endurance of a fuel cell-operated Stalker and provided glimpses of the aircraft’s future potential for “scaled-up” missions.

The record-breaking drone was a production Stalker VXE configured with an external, wing-mounted fuel tank. The 39-hour, 17-minute, and 7-second flight is a record in the Group 2 unmanned aerial system category (5 to 25 kilograms or 11 to 55 pounds).

The baseline Stalker surveillance drone has been in service with the US Special Operations Command since 2006.

Check out The Defense Post’s article and watch the Stalker XE UAS in action!