Boeing Condor
Boeing · United States · first flew 1988 · light aircraft
The Boeing Condor was an ultra-long-endurance unmanned high-altitude demonstrator that flew in 1988, featuring an extraordinarily high-aspect-ratio wing of 62.5 metres to enable stratospheric flight. It set altitude and endurance records for piston-engine aircraft.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 20.12 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Extremely high-aspect-ratio twin-engine HALE UAV
- 60-metre-plus wingspan for stratospheric endurance
- Diesel/piston engines for high-altitude efficiency
The extraordinarily long and slender high-mounted wings — spanning 62.5 metres on a relatively modest fuselage — make the Condor unmistakable; its proportions resemble a powered sailplane scaled to enormous size.
Specifications
- The Boeing Condor has a length of 20.12 m (66 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 62.48 m (205 ft).
- Typical crew: 0.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed for DARPA as a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) technology demonstrator, the Condor flew to above 20,000 m and set an unofficial world record for piston-engine altitude. Its twin turbo-diesel engines were designed for the thin air at high altitude.
Variants
A single prototype was built for the DARPA programme.
Where you'll see it
Used only for DARPA research flights in 1988-1989; the programme did not lead to a production aircraft.
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