Image source: topwar.ru
Recently, the Ravn X drone, created by the American startup Aevum Aerospace, was seen for the first time in hardware at Long Beach Airport (Los Angeles, USA).
The mock-up of the drone was unveiled online with great fanfare in 2021. As the developer explained, this is a "real prototype" that will become the "mother" of a two-stage rocket capable of carrying a payload weighing 450-500 kg to low Earth orbit or 100-150 to a higher sun-synchronous orbit.
The "real prototype" presented in 2021:
Image source: topwar.ru
As stated, the drone, acting as the first stage, was supposed to take off from a conventional runway with a length of only about 1.6 km. After climbing to an altitude of 18-20 km, the aircraft was planned to accelerate to high subsonic speeds (about 1000 km / h) and drop a two-stage liquid-fueled rocket (kerosene and liquid oxygen) from under the fuselage, which was responsible for launching the satellite into the target orbit, and the UAV itself was supposed to return to the airfield for reuse.. In other words, the whole system consisted of three stages.
Then, in 2021, American observers noted:
According to the information announced at the time, the twin-engine Ravn X, designed to become the first stage, weighs about 25 tons, has a length of 24 m and a wingspan of 18 m, that is, it is an aircraft approximately the size of a 1960s A-5 Vigilante carrier-based bomber.
Spotted in 2026 LA:
Image source: topwar.ru
At the end of 2021, it was planned to begin orbital tests of the aircraft. However, after the demonstration of the layout, no information was provided about the development of the project.
According to eyewitnesses who captured the Ravn X in Long Beach, it was rolled out (apparently from the hangar), after which it was moved back. At the same time, engine operation and exhaust fumes were not noticed. Witnesses speak of a slight movement of the device. It is premature to say that these were taxiing tests.
