LIFT Aircraft’s Hexa 09 electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has successfully completed its first test flight at the US Air Force’s (USAF) Duke Field, an auxiliary field located North of Eglin’s main base.
The single-seater unmanned aircraft, piloted via remote control, used 18 motors and propellers to fly for approximately 10 minutes and reach a height of about 50 feet.
This test was an important first step towards incorporating Hexa into operations at a controlled military airfield.
Luke Reddaway, a LIFT team member, pilots the Hexa aircraft via remote control during its first flight at a military airfield at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
The 413th Flight Test Squadron, the Air Forces’ rotary wing developmental test experts, has partnered with AFWERX’s Agility Prime to advance eVTOL test and experimentation.
Through its partnership with the AFWERX Agility Prime program, LIFT continues to test and develop Hexa capabilities for commercial and military use cases.
“This is an opportunity to leverage some of the unit’s expertise with rotary aircraft and apply it to this new field of electric propulsion aircraft,” said Maj. Riley Livermore, 413th FLTS Futures Flight commander. “This flight was an important step in advancing the testing forward.”
The unit, located at Duke Field, provides the coordination, logistics and support for the LIFT team’s developmental ground and flight-testing operations. Hexa 09 is one of two aircraft stationed at Duke Field. Hexa 05 was used for the first test flight conducted in April 2022.
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