AeroMech Engineering Announces Successful First Flight of the Fury 1500 UAS

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Dec. 16, 2010 -- AeroMech Engineering, Inc. (AME) announces the successful first flight of the Fury(R) 1500 Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (STUAS). The successful hour-and-a-half flight occurred on November 30 at Hunter Liggett Airfield. This new version of the Fury(R) was developed at AME's UAS facility in San Luis Obispo, California. The Fury(R) is operated and controlled by AME's UAS Mission Management software, SharkFin(R).

The Fury(R) is a long-endurance, survivable, and runway-independent UAS providing the large payload capacity needed to satisfy critical requirements for the Warfighter. Fury(R) 1200, which was designed for multiple special missions, had its initial flight in 2008.

"We are extremely pleased with the flight of the Fury(R) 1500. Everything from launch, through a flawless flight and clean recovery, went extremely well. This serves as a testament to the hard work and talent of our team and our partners. With Fury(R) 1500 we will help ensure that the Warfighter has the benefit of a Multi-INT, long-duration, and runway-independent asset as soon as possible," said John Purvis, Vice President of STUAS for AME.

Fury(R) 1500 development is being supported by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to address multiple Warfighter requirements. Designed for a broad range of missions and long endurance, Fury(R) 1500's large payload volume and power capacity can support several payloads simultaneously and provide for a flexible, multi-mission capability not currently available with other UAS platforms.

"The Fury(R) is a very capable system in its original configuration and now, with the 1500, we can provide new and industry-leading capabilities in a relatively low-cost package. Fury(R) 1500 leverages both our aircraft production capabilities and our advanced ISR mission management software Sharkfin(R)," added Dr. Robert Miller, AME's CTO and development lead on the Fury(R) 1500.

For more on Fury(R), Sharkfin(R), and AME, please visit www.aeromechengineering.com.