Boeing Condor

Background

The Boeing Condor was developed as a high-altitude, long-endurance test bed. Its fuselage and wings are primarily constructed from carbon-fibre composite materials, which contribute to a relatively low radar cross-section and infrared signature. However, the Condor is not unobservable, making it too vulnerable for military use. The aircraft is completely robotic, with an onboard computer that communicates with ground computers via satellite to control all facets of its missions.

The Condor first flew on 9 October 1988, and two units were built. During its evaluations, the Condor logged over 300 flight hours, flying over Moses Lake, Washington. In 1989, it set the world piston-powered aircraft altitude record of 67,028 ft and became the first aircraft to fly a fully automated flight from takeoff to landing. It also set an unofficial endurance world record in 1988 by flying continuously for more than 50 hours, though the flight was not ratified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and is therefore not considered an official record.

The first flight article is now on display in the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California. The second is disassembled at the National Museum of the United States Air Force's restoration center in Dayton, Ohio.