Long-Endurance Craft Climbs to 67,000 ft.

Reaching an altitude of 67,000 ft. mean sea level (MSL), a long-endurance aircraft from Swift Engineering promises to capture data for new insights into environmental monitoring and new levels of autonomous defense aircraft.

The Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) aircraft reached that ceiling on July 26, 2025 during a 24-hour flight (see image above). Well-suited for aerospace and defense (A&D) applications, the SULE aircraft took off from and landed at Spaceport America, N.M., breaking a previous record of 55,904 ft. for the same aircraft. 

Swift Engineering, which has been involved with NASA on a two-year program to extend the endurance of uncrewed aircraft, recently won a Phase II award for additional support of SULE design, fabrication, and flight testing.

Hamed Khalkhali, President of Swift Engineering, noted, “We are very proud of the recognition and support for the SULE platform that we have received from NASA.”

He added, “NASA sees clear and compelling benefits that will accrue from the development of these high-altitude, unmanned vehicles for a range of applications, including the monitoring of ecological changes, research on climate patterns, and enhanced emergency management.”

The SULE aircraft features a 72-ft. wingspan and 15-lb. payload capacity in support of full communications capabilities for the longest-endurance flights.