Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, a California-based defense firm, is developing and producing ultra long endurance unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, for the U.S. Army.

The contract, which is $20 million awarded through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program, includes the delivery of K1000ULE drones to two organizations: the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1 MDTF), and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

Source: Kraus Hamdani AerospaceSource: Kraus Hamdani Aerospace

The developers of the K1000ULE claim that the UAS is intended for long missions, offering the U.S. Army aerial tier network extension (ATNE), electronic warfare (EW) and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for deep sensing and communication extension over long distances.

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace also noted that the K1000ULE drone, which is 9.8 ft in length with a wingspan of 16.4 ft, has airborne capability of up to 24 hours and offers a reported 1,000-mile flight range.

Further, the K1000ULE drone can travel at speeds of 46 miles per hour at a ceiling height of 20,000 ft, is capable of vertical take-off and landing, and can carry out operations beyond line of sight.

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