Morgenroete XR-704 HARC
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| Morgenroete XR-704 HARC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Strategic reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Morgenroete Aerospace |
| Designer | Leander de Vries |
| Status | Cancelled |
The Morgenroete XR-704 HARC was an experimental long range high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft designed and developed by Morgenroete Aerospace. The XR-704 was developed as a black project led by Morgenroete Skunkworks division and was a manned version of the XRQ-703. Mission equipment for the aircraft included signals intelligence sensors, a side-looking airborne radar, and the newest photo sensor developed by SARA for its next generation of earth imaging satellites.
Funding for the Royal Gristo-Serkonan Air Force's High Altitude Reconnaissance Program or HARP was approved in early 2015 with its first test flight on August 2020. During aerial reconnaissance missions, the XR-704 supposedly had a theoretical maximum altitude of 28,000 metres. Its Marklin-Ashton JE-249 air-breathing engines are theoretically capable of achieving a maximum speed of Mach 3.4.
The program only built one prototype aircraft, and was eventually cancelled by the Fox government in early 2022 following its loss over Wazheganon airspace.
History
Test flight over Wazheganon
On March 04, 2021, the air force ordered a night test flight to test the aircraft's night flying capabilities. The aircraft's pilot was Sqn Ldr Vegard Eriksen with Flight Lieutenant Tanis Johnson serving as the aircraft's weapon's systems officer took off. The aircraft took off at 6:30 standard time from Garafraxa AFB and took a northern route.