$92M deal turns high-altitude drones into airborne sensors for hypersonic flight tests

AEVEX Corp. has landed a potential $92.2 million contract to support the U.S. military’s SkyRange hypersonic test program. The three-year award brings AEVEX into flight operations across Western U.S. and Pacific test corridors. Its engineers will handle airborne telemetry, communications, payload integration, and distributed range systems. SkyRange is designed around a simple change in how the military instruments difficult flight tests. Instead of keeping critical tracking equipment at fixed sites, the program puts much of it aboard aircraft. That gives test teams mobile platforms that can follow demanding flight profiles and provide data from positions closer to the action. Flying test ranges The program uses unmanned aircraft as airborne test platforms called Range Hawks, including converted RQ-4 Global Hawks. Those aircraft can carry specialized sensors and instrumentation designed to track hypersonic vehicles during flight. Their altitude and mobility give engineers additional coverage across expansive test corridors. That flexibility matters because hypersonic vehicles can cross large distances in minutes, limiting how much useful data fixed stations can collect. Ships have also provided instrumentation for flight tests, but aircraft can reposition more easily between missions and across different testing areas. AEVEX will provide the engineering needed to integrate airborne range equipment with the wider SkyRange architecture. Its teams will also support flight operations throughout designated U.S. and Pacific corridors. The company’s role extends into the systems that connect airborne platforms with the people analyzing the resulting flight data. Telemetry moves with aircraft SkyRange needs more than airborne sensors to make those platforms useful during hypersonic tests. It also needs communications systems capable of moving telemetry reliably during flight. AEVEX will support airborne telemetry relay and resilient communications architecture under the award. Its work will also cover distributed range networking, mission data, and payload integration. Telemetry gives engineers access to measurements collected during a flight, helping them examine vehicle performance and reconstruct test events. That data becomes particularly important during hypersonic testing, where vehicles move rapidly through large areas and test windows can be difficult to repeat. “Rapid hypersonic development depends on scalable airborne infrastructure,” said Mike Jackson, AEVEX senior vice president for Global Solutions. He also cited resilient telemetry architecture and rapid collection of operational test data as important requirements for hypersonic development. AEVEX will help connect airborne instrumentation with the broader test network, allowing mission data to move between platforms and test personnel. Global Hawks become Range Hawks TRMC established SkyRange to expand the infrastructure available for hypersonic flight testing. The program turns large unmanned aircraft into mobile nodes that can support individual test missions. Former RQ-4 Global Hawks offer the size and endurance needed to carry specialized range equipment. Engineers can equip them with upward-looking sensors designed to observe vehicles during flight.The resulting Range Hawks can move between test areas instead of remaining tied to a single location. That gives range planners another way to configure instrumentation around a vehicle’s planned trajectory. AEVEX will support those aircraft through engineering, systems integration, flight operations, communications, and mission-data work.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Aamir is a seasoned tech journalist with experience at Exhibit Magazine, Republic World, and PR Newswire. With a deep love for all things tech and science, he has spent years decoding the latest innovations and exploring how they shape industries, lifestyles, and the future of humanity.