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Air Force Flight Tests Affordable Missile Demonstrator With Ursa Major Engine

Cal Biesecker By
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Air Force Flight Tests Affordable Missile Demonstrator With Ursa Major Engine
The Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator sits staged for flight on Jan. 27, 2026. The missile was positioned on a specialized air log cart, used to transport and load the vehicle onto the Transportable Target Launcher. The flight was a key milestone in increasing the technology readiness level of the Draper liquid rocket engine. (U.S. Army photo by Ryan Harty)

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on Thursday said it recently conducted a first flight test of the Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator (ARMD) powered by Ursa Major’s Draper liquid rocket engine--an event that raised the technology readiness level (TRL) of the propulsion system to TRL 7. The flight reached supersonic speeds and demonstrated concepts of operations, the Air Force and company said. A spokesperson for the lab said the test occurred on March 6 "at an undisclosed location." Ursa Major…

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