Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has completed the first flight of its new aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, Rapcon-X, in Hagerstown, Maryland.
“SNC’s pivot to creating a rapidly configurable jet ISR capability is a ground-breaking development that will revolutionize how our customers plan and execute ISR missions,” said Tim Owings, executive vice president of SNC’s MST business area.
The Rapcon-X is part of SNC’s contract under the US Army’s ATHENA program, awarded last year to deliver two contractor-owned ISR aircraft to advance high-altitude airborne reconnaissance capabilities.
The contract is estimated at $600 million for a duration of five years.
To develop its Rapcon-X platform, SNC partnered with other firms, including Bombardier, ThinKom Solutions, and Leonardo USA.
Features
The Rapcon-X was developed using model-based systems engineering, which reduces integration time for new systems and capabilities, allowing for rapid reconfiguration for different operations without costly redesigns.
Additionally, the aircraft enables equipment swaps to meet mission-specific needs, particularly for high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance.
Its baseline setup supports signals intelligence, electro-optical surveillance, and ground moving-target tracking. Advanced tech like SNC’s TRAX command and control software ensures seamless connectivity with battlefield networks.
Rapcon-X can operate at a mission altitude of over 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) and has a flight endurance exceeding 14 hours.
The company noted that the same reconfiguration features developed for Rapcon-X could be applied to other types of aircraft types, including the Bombardier Challenger 650 and King Air 350ER.
