Mysterious Black Jet That Emerged At Long Beach Airport Identified
TWZ • • business
Key Points:
- Aviation photographer Ricky Schol spotted a large, sleek aircraft silhouette at Long Beach Airport, identified as the RAVN X, a space-launch drone by Aevum Aerospace, marking a rare public sighting of the vehicle.
- The RAVN X, first introduced as a mockup in 2021, is designed as a twin-engine drone capable of carrying over 1,000 pounds of payload to orbit, with ambitious plans for airworthiness certification and orbital launch tests.
- Despite initial fanfare, there has been little public progress or updates from Aevum, with industry trackers noting that all activities related to RAVN X seem to have halted by August 2024.
- Schol observed the aircraft on the runway with minimal movement and no engine noise, suggesting it was likely a mockup undergoing limited ground testing rather than active flight operations.
- The RAVN X program appears to remain alive but dormant, with no recent official information; the photographer’s sighting provides a rare glimpse into the project’s current status.
