U.S. Navy testing radical drone that can take off and land vertically with a few feet of clearance

The U.S. Navy is testing a radical new style of long-distance drone that can take off and land vertically, making it deployable from almost anywhere. The V-Bat drone, which recently completed a fly-test over the Atlantic Ocean can be equipped with an 8 lbs. In prior test, the V-Bat pushed the boundaries of its ceiling altitude, soaring to a height of 15,000 feet and returning safely. V-Bat's defining feature, vertical landing and take-off, make it unique and in some ways, more capable, than other drones used in military operations, according to MartinUAV'With these milestones, V-BAT has demonstrated all of the key performance parameters we set for it two years ago,' said Phillip Jones, Martin UAV's Chief Operating Officer in a statement. 'The focus for the engineering team will now shift to enhancing and refining these capabilities to even better meet & exceed warfighter requirements.'