[Video] Approaching ‘Mach 1’ per hour… First flight of US Army's new jet reconnaissance aircraft 'HADES'

The U.S. Army succeeded in the first test flight of the new jet reconnaissance aircraft 'HADES' prototype, which is being developed for long-distance and high-altitude reconnaissance missions.

The U.S. Army announced on the 30th of last month that the first HADES prototype successfully conducted its first test flight on September 11th, local time. The related facts were made public about 7 weeks after the actual flight took place.

The video released by the U.S. Department of Defense shows HADES, equipped with various sensing equipment on both sides and below the aircraft, taking off from the runway and conducting a test flight.

HADES stands for 'High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System' and is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that detects enemy communication and radar signals and the movement of ground targets from a distance and delivers them to the command center.

American aerospace and defense company Sierra Nevada (SNC) converted Canada's Bombardier's large business jet Global 6500 into a military reconnaissance aircraft.

The maximum speed of the basic Global 6500 is Mach 0.90, or approximately 956 km per hour. The maximum operating altitude is approximately 15,545m and the maximum range is approximately 12,223km.

It can fly faster and higher than conventional reconnaissance aircraft that fly with a propeller, allowing it to monitor a wide area and quickly move to the required operational area. The core mission is to stay outside the range of enemy air defenses at high altitudes and detect targets and electronic signals deep in the battlefield.

HADES is scheduled to replace existing turboprop intelligence collection aircraft such as the RC-12X Guardrail and MC-12S reconnaissance aircraft that the U.S. Army has operated for decades.

Produced by: Jeon Seok-woo

Video: DVIDS·SierraNevCorp