Aurora Flight Sciences (Boeing) XV-24 LightningStrike (defunct)

XV-24 LightningStrike (defunct)
Aurora Flight Sciences, A Boeing Company
Manassas, Virginia, USA
www.aurora.aero

Aurora Flight Sciences was founded in May 1989 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA by John Langford, III (with a PhD in Aeronautics and Public Policy from MIT) and with two employees. Aurora Flight Sciences is an American aviation and aeronautics research and development company that that designs and manufacturing uncrewed and crewed autonomous aircraft, aerosystems manufacturing and prototyping, flight operations and testing, and more. The company also designs and manufactures electric and hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft for the advanced air mobility (AAM) and other uses.

Boeing announced they had purchased Aurora Flight Sciences on Nov. 18 2017. In 2018, the company had about 550 employees among its four main sites. In May 2024, the company's LinkedIn web page state they have 866 employees. Through 2024, the company has designed and flown 30 aircraft in its first 30 years of history. Aurora bills itself as "an innovative technology company which strives to create smarter aircraft through the development of versatile and intuitive autonomous systems."

In 2016 DARPA's Ashish Bagai stated that, "For the past 60 years, helicopters have provided essential vertical take off and landing (VTOL) capabilities for countless military operations. One key goal still remains elusive: improving top speed beyond 170 knots. Faster VTOL aircraft could shorten mission times and increase the potential for successful operations, while reducing vulnerability to enemy attack," he added. "Unfortunately, new VTOL designs so far have been unable to increase top speed without unacceptable compromises in range, efficiency, useful payload or simplicity of design."

XV-24 LightningStrike high-speed hybrid-electric uncrewed VTOL concept design aircraft
The XV-24 LightningStrike is a high-speed hybrid-electric uncrewed VTOL concept design aircraft. The XV-24 was a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project to demonstrate high-speed hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities of a drone. While specifications were made for a full size aircraft, the company created at least one 20% subscale prototype aircraft first flown on March 29, 2016. The aircraft's design was originally called the VTOL X-Plane but was then nicknamed the LightningStrike.

The LightningStrike was planned to have a cruise speed greater than 345 mph (>555 km/h), a hover efficiency to at least 75%, achieve a lift-to-drag ratio of at least 10 and that the drone could carry a payload weight of at least 40% of the projected gross weight or ~1,625 lb (737 kg). The aircraft was planned to have 24 electric ducted fans, 24 electric motors and use one Rolls-Royce AE1107C turboshaft 4,023 hp engine (used on the V-22 Osprey) to generate electric power through three Honeywell generators. The 24 electric motors were located on the leading edge of the main rear wing and front canard. The rear wing had eighteen 100 kW motors while the canard used six 70 kW motors. Both wings were to have winglets.

The aircraft was to be made from carbon fiber composite material for a high strength low weight ratio and to be made using a 3D printer. The dimensions of the aircraft were to be approximately 38 ft (11.8 m) in length, 14 ft (4.3 m) in height and have a 60 ft (18.2 m) width rear wingspan. The full size aircraft was to have an approximate empty weight of 11,375 lb (5,160 kg), an estimated maximum payload weight of 1,625 lb (737 kg) and an expected maximum takeoff weight of 13,000 lb (5,897 kg). The aircraft was to have retractable wheeled tricycle landing gear.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract and subscale prototype
In February 2013, Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Honeywell and Rolls-Royce were awarded a cost-plus fixed-fee contract from DARPA (USA) worth $89.4 million USD over competitors Boeing, Karem Aircraft and Sikorsky. While specifications were made for a full size aircraft (which is listed on this web page above and below), the company created at least one 20% subscale prototype aircraft first flown on March 29, 2016.

Phase II was to build two full size aircraft (designated the XV-24A) for flight testing by September 2018. However, in April 2018 DARPA decided the subscale model's flight tests affirmed the program’s major objectives had been achieved and DARPA cancelled the project. Aurora was able to shift some efforts and data to support its commercial interest for eVTOL aircraft in conjunction to the Uber Elevate mission (Uber Elevate is now defunct). After the beginning of their partnership with Uber Elevate, Aurora began development of the Pegasus Passenger Air Vehicle (PAV) passenger eVTOL prototype aircraft.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL weapons platform concept design aircraft
• Piloting: Autonomous or remote
• Capacity: Weapons
• Cruise speed: >345 mph (>555 km/h)
• Range: Unknown
• Empty weight: ~11,375 lb (~5,160 kg)
• Maximum payload weight: ~1,625 lb (~737 kg)
• Maximum takeoff weight: ~13,000 lb (~5,897 kg)
• Propellers: 24 electric ducted fans (EDFs)
• Electric motors: 24 electric motors (motor output: 18x 168 hp + 6x 121 hp, 18x 125 kW + 6x 90 kW)
• Power source: Hybrid-electric power source. 1 Rolls-Royce AE1107C turboshaft 4,023 hp engine (used on the V-22 Osprey) to generate electric power by three Honeywell generators for the 24 electric ducted fans.
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Dimensions: >38 ft (11.8 m) length, ~14 ft (4.3 m) height, >60 ft (18.2 m) width (or wingspan)
• Wings: 1 tilt canard wing with EDFs in the middle of the entire wing with winglets, 1 rear high-main wing with EDFs in the middle of the entire wing with winglets
• Landing gear: Retractable tricycle wheeled landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure.

Related Aircraft:

• Aurora Flight Sciences (Boeing) Pegasus PAV (prototype)
• Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle CV1 (prototype)
• Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle CV2 (prototype)
• Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle IT1 (concept design)
• Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle IT2 (concept design)
• Porsche Boeing Unnamed J2 (concept design)
• Porsche Boeing Unnamed T2 (concept design)
• Porsche Boeing Unnamed III (concept design)

Company Insights:

• Crunchbase
• MarketWatch
• Pitchbook
• Tracxn

Resources:

• Aurora Flight Sciences website
• Aurora Flight Sciences Facebook
• Aurora Flight Sciences X (formerly Twitter)
• Aurora Flight Sciences YouTube Channel
• Aurora Flight Sciences Instagram
• Aurora Flight Sciences LinkedIn
• Aurora Flight Sciences Wikipedia
• Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike Wikipedia
• Article: DARPA Selects Aurora’s LightningStrike 24-prop Hybrid VTOL X-Plane, Defense Update, Mar. 2, 2016
• Article: US government gives go ahead to high-speed drone capable of vertical takeoff, Dezeen, Mar. 8, 2016
• Article: Lightning Strikes Aurora, Vertiflite, May/June 2016
• Article: A Small LightningStrike, Vertiflite, July/August 2016
• Patent: "Hybrid Propulsion Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft," US Patent Application 15403818, Jan. 11, 2017
• Article: Uber Partners with Aurora Flight Sciences to Manufacture Electric VTOLs, Electric VTOL News, Mar. 1, 2017
• Article: Air Mobility Bonanza Beckons Electric VTOL Developers, Vertiflite, Mar. 1, 2017
• Article: Aurora’s Small LightningStrike Transitions, Electric VTOL News, Apr. 4, 2017
• Article: LightningStrike Concluded, Electric VTOL News, Mar/Apr 2018
• Article: Thinking Outside the Box Is Inside the Box at Aurora Flight Sciences, Electric VTOL News, May 1, 2018
• Article: The eVTOL Industry in Transition, Vertiflite, Mar/Apr 2019