What was on Orion flights 2–17 between August 2013 and March 2014?
First flight: no mission system. Flight 18 (Dec 2014): ballast. The MH370-relevant interval is the unlisted sorties in between, plus whether the ‘second flight series’ PB2015 said was being scheduled had begun by 8 March.
Need China Lake test cards, GFE issue records, photographs, contract modifications on FA8620-12-C-3027, and weight-and-balance sheets. Aviation Week 2010 attributed a planned pair of MTS-B turrets, VADER under the nose and a WAMI aft bay — planned, not fitted on the maiden article.
Sources
- Master log 19 Sep 2026; USAF PB2015
Related
Orion first flight, China Lake
24 August 2013 · ~3.5 hours · 8,000 ft · no mission payload
Orion flight 18 — 80-hour record with 1,000 lb ballast
December 2014 · not an ISR-payload demonstration
What sensors were actually on Orion by March 2014?
Raytheon MTS-B as Orion payload lead
Reported option · 2012–13 USAF UAV MTS bookings in the $200m class
Orion 80-hour remotely controlled flight
December 2014 · 1,000 lb ballast · fuel for ~37 more hours
Aurora Orion RPA
Twin-diesel MALE UAS · China Lake first flight 24 Aug 2013
Orion’s first flight carried no mission system
Aurora Orion contract FA8620-12-C-3027
~$86.56m aggregated · completion extending to 2019