Boeing Condor

The Boeing Condor was a high tech test bed aerial reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle. It had a wingspan of over 200 feet, wider than that of a Boeing B-52. Powered by two 175 hp, six-cylinder opposed, twin turbo-charged liquid-cooled Continental TSOL-300-2 engines, it had a top speed of 230 mph. Carbon fiber composite materials made up the bulk of the Condor's fuselage and wings. Although the Condor had a very low radar cross-section and infrared signature, it was not a very stealthy aircraft, to the point that Boeing itself has referred to its "lack of stealth." This characteristic, coupled with its large size and slow speed, made it too vulnerable for use in military operations. The Condor was completely robotic, with an on board computer to communicate with the computers on the ground via satellite to control all facets of the Condor's missions. The Condor's frame was made of mainly Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composite, as it gives off very low radar and heat signatures. In 1989, the Condor set the world piston-powered aircraft altitude record of 67,028 feet and was the first aircraft to fly a fully automated flight from takeoff to landing.