Battery Powered Wraith XD-04E Drone Makes Successful Test Flight

Global Aerial Surveillance, LAS VEGAS, NV: Global Aerial Surveillance, a developer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for both commercial and military applications, announced today that it has successfully flight tested the Wraith XD-04E drone. The Wraith is an all-purpose reconnaissance UAV that runs completely on electric power. The highly aerodynamic unmanned drone can perform fully autonomous aerial surveillance missions for up to 4 hours without landing for servicing.  
 
The aircraft's airframe will be constructed of state-of-the-art carbon and Kevlar composite materials that are very lightweight but also very strong. The Wraith uses the latest in Lithium Ion batteries for maximum power with minimum weight as well as a highly efficient and powerful brushless electric motor. Longer range and alternative fuel models are being planned.  
 
The Wraith will be capable of fully autonomous missions guided by an internal autopilot and GPS guidance system; no in-flight operator input will be required to fly the aircraft. The planned Ground Station will be capable of linking up to 10 aircraft simultaneously, operated by a single ground technician.  
 
“We anticipate the Wraith to be used as an aerial surveillance platform not only for military applications, but also for industries such as forestry, agriculture, search and rescue, and more,” stated Craig Cervantes, CEO of Global Aerial Surveillance. “The Wraith has been designed to be a flexible platform whether as a stand alone, or used in conjunction with multiple aircraft and a Ground Station. The applications are limitless, and the relatively low overall cost, when compared to alternative UAV platforms, should attract attention from those looking to implement an aerial surveillance system.”  
 
Global Aerial Surveillance intends to capitalize on what the company sees as an opportunity in the civilian and military markets to provide Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for a myriad of potential applications. Although the applications for UAVs are numerous, Global intends to concentrate its development and marketing efforts in small, underserved niches where it can compete aggressively with pricing and service exceeding the competition.  
 
Global will take a new approach to the development of UAV technology by making use of advanced composite construction techniques and materials and incorporating the latest in ultra-light high-speed computer processors to deliver a flexible, mission-specific UAV to its customers that can perform various complex missions.  
 
A recent study of the worldwide UAV market concluded that U.S. spending on UAVs amounted to about 73% of worldwide research and production spending in 2003. The U.S. has dominated this market in recent years, due in part to the depth of research and wide range of production programs.  
 
Frost & Sullivan, a research group in San Antonio, Texas, forecasts that the market for UAVs will be worth nearly $5 billion by 2005. Michael Heinz, who heads Boeing's Unmanned Systems unit, and other executives at military contractors see an annual market of at least $10 billion by decade's end, with growth continuing at double-digit rates for a decade or more.