HQ-60

Latitude Engineering Photo

The HQ-60 is a long endurance (12-24 hours) hybrid quadrotor unmanned air vehicle designed by Latitutude Engineering.  The vertical launch and landing UAV features an 8 to 12 pound payload capacity.

Latitude Engineering HQ-60 UAV Breaks Endurance Record

Latitude Engineering Photo

10 August 2016 – Latitude Engineering, with a team coordinated by L-3 Unmanned Systems, consisting of Power4Flight, Trillium Engineering, and Silvus Technologies, participated in the Joint Interagency Field Experimentation Program (JIFX). Hosted by the Naval Postgraduate School at the California National Guard’s Camp Roberts, JIFX provides an environment to encourage innovation and collaboration between DoD, government agencies, various industries, and universities.  Special Operations Forces, the National Guard, and first responders participate to provide feedback on the effectiveness, affordability, and feasibility of new technologies showcased at JIFX.

The goal of the demonstration effort, led by Latitude Engineering, sought to surpass the world record for time aloft of a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, using Latitude’s HQ-60 Hybrid Quadrotor UAV. The HQ-60, procured by L-3, launched at 2:06 PM PST and continuously flew until 12:39 PM PST the following day, successfully surpassing the record for time aloft of a VTOL aircraft, with a total flight time of 22 hours, 29 minutes, and 38 seconds, with fuel to spare. The Boeing A160 had previously flown the longest at 18 hours, 45 minutes.

To add further perspective on this achievement, the HQ-60 UAV flew approximately 1090.04 miles on a single tank of gas, while carrying a representative payload consisting of Trillium’s Orion HD50 EO/IR gimbal and a Silvus Streamcaster radio. The capabilities of the HQ-60 earned significant interest from JIFX attendees.

Latitude Engineering, LLC and L-3 participated in JIFX 16-3 with the HQ-60 aircraft, Trillium's HD50 gimbal, and Silvus's MIMO radio. Video: Latitude Engineering.