American aerospace startup Aevum's RAVN X autonomous aircraft appeared at Long Beach Airport and was mistaken for an F-117 stealth aircraft

The RAVN This all-black, cockpit-less aircraft was originally designed to carry rockets and perform space launch missions. (Picture taken from X platform @aggressoraviation_)

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report] Recently, a mysterious aircraft with a streamlined shape, all-black paint, and no cockpit suddenly appeared at the Long Beach Airport in California, USA. For a time, the aerial photographers at the scene mistakenly thought it was a retired F-117 "Nighthawk" stealth attack aircraft of the US military. This mysterious aircraft was later found to be the "RAVN

The US military and defense media "The War Zone" reported that when local aviation photographer Ricky Schol passed by the Long Beach Airport that night, he noticed the lights on a hangar that had not been opened for a long time. When he went to check, he was surprised to see the giant black aircraft pulled out of the hangar. Shaw recalled that when he first saw it, he thought the US military's mysterious F-117 stealth attack aircraft was quietly visiting. However, when he got closer, he was shocked to find that there was no cockpit directly in front of the aircraft.

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After taking the photos, Shore made further inquiries and confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) registration number on the fuselage was N567RX, which exactly matched the number reserved by Aevum for the RAVN X. "The War Zone" reported that the aircraft that appeared was probably still a physical model that had been publicly displayed in the past.

When RAVN Public information at the time showed that the twin-engine aircraft weighed about 55,000 pounds, was about 24 meters long, and had a wingspan of about 18 meters. Its size was equivalent to the retired A-5 Vigilante attack aircraft of the U.S. Navy.

However, "The War Zone" reported that after Aevum proposed a positive timetable, there was no public update for many years. Websites tracking space launch activities also showed that the project has not made significant progress for a long time, leading the outside world to believe that the project has been abandoned.

This time RAVN X suddenly moved briefly on the runway of Long Beach Airport, once again triggering speculation in the aviation industry. Witnesses at the scene pointed out that they did not hear the roar of the engine during the move, and saw no exhaust or tail flames. According to report analysis, this means that only limited ground testing may have been conducted at the site, and it cannot be concluded that RAVN X has resumed flight testing at this stage.

At present, neither Aevum nor CEO Jay Skylus has stated publicly the specific purpose of the aircraft. Another aviation website, "The Aviationist", reported that the aircraft may have conducted limited autonomous taxiing tests, but it is still unclear whether it has actual flight capabilities.