US Army Selects Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000ULE for Major Program of Record
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- InterestingEngineering.com
The US Army selected Kraus Hamdani Aerospace’s (KHA) K1000ULE unmanned aircraft system for a major Program of Record. The California-based company will supply Group 2, fully electric aircraft for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions. The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone can launch and recover without a runway, and a three-person team can operate it in the field.
KHA says the K1000ULE can remain airborne for up to 24 hours on a single charge and cover 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers). It cruises at 46 mph (40 knots), has a service ceiling of 20,000 feet, and supports a maximum takeoff weight of 42.5 pounds (19.3 kilograms). Its AI-enabled autonomous flight supports operation beyond the operator’s line of sight, while an open architecture allows sensors and payloads to be updated. The selection adds to the company’s military adoption for missions in austere and contested environments.
The Army contract’s specific value, delivery schedule, and fielding timeline were not disclosed. KHA’s K1000ULE is also listed on the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS Cleared and Select Lists and is available through the Army’s acquisition marketplace. The company previously received a 2024 contract to develop and produce ultra-long-endurance drones for the US military; the timing and scope of the new Program of Record remain unspecified.
Original report
US Army fields 1,000-mile runway-free electric drones to hunt battlefield targets
InterestingEngineering.com · Aman TripathiThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
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