Swift Engineering wins Phase II NASA SBIR award for SULE high-altitude, long-endurance UAS platform

Swift Engineering, a leading innovator in advanced solutions for unmanned aviation as well as a range of other critical applications, has announced the winning of a Phase II award in the NASA-sponsored Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The award provides financial support for the company’s Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) high-altitude platform systems (HAPS) capability demonstration.

The SBIR program is designed to foster innovation and help small businesses develop and commercialize technologies that align with NASA’s mission needs. The program funds flight demonstrations and innovative instrument development related to HAPS.

“The resources and support of the NASA SBIR program are vital to driving technology innovations that are critical in addressing multiple challenges and opportunities,” said Hamed Khalkhali, President of Swift Engineering. “We are proud to have been involved in this program on multiple occasions in pursuit of delivering high-performance, cost-effective solutions.”

NASA regards HAPS platforms such as balloons and drones as important for Earth observations and other applications. These platforms offer advantages such as consistent data collection from the stratosphere, which can be useful for monitoring ecological changes, climate patterns and emergency management.

Swift is designing, fabricating and flight testing the SULE UAS, targeting 30-day endurance, with the potential to exponentially decrease costs and increase data provided for a range of defense and industrial applications. Late last year, SULE achieved a milestone altitude of 55,904 ft. MSL (Mean Sea Level) on a groundbreaking 24-hour flight.

Swift Engineering was previously awarded a Phase I SBIR contract for the SULE capability demonstration in pursuit of long-endurance HAPS flight testing. The company has also earned SBIR awards for other technologies such as a low-cost, combined hydrophone and CTD sensor; a heavy-lift, long-endurance UAS platform; a low-cost, high-precision, wireless water monitoring system; an IoT-enabled buoy-based water sensor solution; a modular payload HALE UAS for scientific missions; and an expendable, inexpensive, long-endurance drone for military applications.