Steadicopter Ltd. says it has reached a U.S. operational readiness milestone for its Black Eagle 50E unmanned helicopter after completing an airworthiness validation process through the Nevada Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site (Nevada UASTS), operated by the University of Nevada, Reno.
Nevada UASTS issued an Airworthiness Statement covering all Black Eagle 50E aircraft in the United States operated by Steadicopter’s U.S. demonstration and operational readiness partner, Alchemy Analytics (flyAlchemy), the company said.
Steadicopter said the validation complements Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COAs) supporting operations across designated areas totaling more than 8,100 square miles. The company said the combined approvals will support continued flights, customer demonstrations, training, mission evaluations and development of operational use cases in the United States.
“This milestone represents an important step in establishing a sustained U.S. operational capability for the Black Eagle 50E,” said Noam Lidor, CEO of Steadicopter. “The Nevada UASTS process and FAA operational authorizations provide the foundation to move beyond initial demonstrations and evaluate the platform against real customer and mission requirements, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the U.S. market.”
Steadicopter describes the Black Eagle 50E as an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft intended to operate without conventional runway infrastructure. The company said the U.S. program will support mission development for defence and security, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), public safety, critical infrastructure, remote sensing and emergency response.
From a base at Reno-Stead Airport in Nevada, flyAlchemy has coordinated U.S. flight operations and supported airworthiness activities, regulatory and operational planning, aircraft staging, mission development and preparation for customer demonstrations and evaluations, Steadicopter said.
“Completing the Nevada UASTS airworthiness process, together with the FAA operating areas already established, provides a strong operational foundation for the Black Eagle 50E in the United States,” said Conrad Wright, founder of Alchemy Analytics / flyAlchemy. “This work allows us to move beyond simply demonstrating the aircraft and begin evaluating complete mission capabilities against real U.S. customer requirements—from payload selection and integration through training, mission-specific demonstrations and operational evaluations.”
Steadicopter said it and flyAlchemy will now expand U.S. customer and partner engagement, conduct mission-specific demonstrations and evaluations, integrate additional payloads, and pursue additional operating areas and authorizations as customer requirements develop.
