Platform Aerospace’s Vanilla UAS Completes Over 1,000 Miles in the Arctic

Platform Aerospace has successfully completed an Arctic flight campaign for a DoD customer. Vanilla, the Ultra-Long Endurance UAS, completed two flights totaling more than 65 hours in the Arctic Circle, operating north of the 78th parallel.

Vanilla flew continuously for 39 hours in the Arctic. In September 2023, it carried a meteorological sensor suite to measure environmental conditions and validate its icing detection systems. Operating from Deadhorse, Alaska, Vanilla flew over 500 miles toward the North Pole and back, totaling over 1,000 miles in 17 hours. It continued data collection for another 22 hours, making a single un-refueled flight of 39 hours. A second flight of 26 hours brought the total flight time to 65 hours north of the 70th parallel.

Cloud and icing warnings were provided in real-time by the Atmospheric Sensing and Prediction Sensor (ASAPS) from PEMDAS Technologies & Innovation. ASAPS provided crucial measurements of pressure, temperature, and humidity. This system was critical for both science objectives and operator safety.

"Vanilla's performance is ideal for environmental monitoring missions," said Dr. Dan Edwards, CTO of Platform Aerospace. Takeoffs were performed under Visual Flight Rules with a chase escort. Conditions at the airfield unexpectedly deteriorated to Instrument Meteorological Conditions, but Vanilla stayed on mission for an additional 22 hours before filing an Instrument Flight Rules plan with FAA assistance. This event demonstrated Vanilla's ability to mitigate bad weather and integrate with National Airspace System procedures.