“We had the challenge of taking an airplane that has only flown once and converting it into a versatile autonomous testbed, which demonstrates Scaled’s agility and flexibility in achieving new test objectives. One example was assuring flight safety when engaging the autonomous system and how to effectively integrate protections into the flight controls.” Source: Scaled Composites Project Engineer Yuto Shinagawa, commenting as the Model 437 “Vanguard” has returned to flight testing. The aircraft first flew in 2024, quickly taking a break from the skies as it prepared to serve as the airframe for Northrop Grumman’s Beacon autonomy test program.
