Platform Aerospace's Vanilla UAS Completes 27-Hour Mission at Valiant Shield 2024

Platform Aerospace's Ultra-Long Endurance Group 3 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), Vanilla, successfully completed a 27-hour mission during the Valiant Shield 2024 (VS24) exercise in Guam.

Held from June 7th to June 18th, this exercise involved multiple U.S. military branches and partner nations. Vanilla demonstrated its communications relay functionality, connecting via Link 16 (BATS-D) and Silvus radio to various assets, including High Altitude Balloons (HABS) and both manned and unmanned vessels.

Despite encountering severe weather on June 13th, Vanilla returned safely to Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB) after a 1-day, 3-hour, 2-minute flight on June 14th. This flight underscores the advanced technology readiness of Vanilla for diverse military operational environments.

Vanilla UAS can be configured for multiple missions, such as Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Communications Relay, Decoy, Air Launched Effects (ALE), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Electronic Warfare (EW).

VS24 also served as Vanilla's formal Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8 assessment, marking a significant milestone in its development within the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) Program.