Navy completes 73-hour solar UAS flight with Skydweller platform
NewsJuly 30, 2025
PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland. The U.S. Navy, in coordination with Skydweller Aero, completed a three-day continuous flight of a solar-powered uncrewed aerial system (UAS) during recent testing at Stennis, Mississippi, the service announced in a statement.
Led by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), the 73-hour mission demonstrated the Skydweller platform’s ability to maintain sustained solar-powered operation, validating its energy balance, autonomy, and weather adaptability, the statement reads.
The test also confirmed the system’s communications stability and real-time onboard decision-making capabilities. According to the Navy, these features support persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions across large oceanic areas.
Skydweller is designed to provide wide-area ISR coverage for extended durations, allowing higher-end ISR assets to focus on time-sensitive or specialized missions. The Navy began evaluating the system in 2020 to address operational needs in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) region, including maritime domain awareness and counter-narcotics efforts.
Further testing is planned later this year in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility, the statement adds.
