Elbit Systems Ltd, HAIFA, Israel: Elbit Systems Ltd. announced the successful test flight of the Skylark Mini UAV at 15,000 feet altitude. The high altitude flight demonstration was part of a larger evaluation conducted by a potential customer.
The Skylark was launched from a mountaintop at an altitude of 13,785 feet (4.5 Kilometers) and operating in autonomous flight mode climbed to a cruising altitude exceeding 15,000 feet. At the end of the test flight the Skylark performed a perfect automatic landing at the designated point of recovery on the rocky mountain. The flawless take-off, cruise and landing in an altitude where the air density is less than 60% of the sea level atmosphere and the wind gusts are known to be dangerous for any airborne platform were testament to Skylark's ruggedness and reliability.
The high altitude test was part of a successful series of evaluation flights which included performance in day and night operational scenarios. Previously, in other system evaluations, Skylark demonstrated flawless performance in extreme temperatures ranging from
US military says aircraft crash in Iraq killed 4 crew members
A US KC?135 aerial refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq killing four crew members, the military said Friday, adding that...
