Products / EVA-X I1

Air-launched ISR / tracking / communications UAV

EVA-X I1

A compact, optionally armed, electrically powered fixed-wing aircraft designed to carry inside the EVA-X MINI six-position payload bay — built for observation, tracking, mapping, and communications-relay missions.

Weapon payload, kinetic effect, explosive system, or weapon-delivery interface is optional in this design. EVA-X I1 is an ISR, tracking, and communications aircraft.

System concept

Small enough to carry six. Capable enough to matter.

EVA-X I1 is a compact, electrically powered fixed-wing UAV designed for carriage inside the EVA-X MINI six-position payload bay. It is intended for observation, tracking, mapping, and communications-relay missions. The common air vehicle uses folding wings, a pusher propeller, a modular sensor nose, GNSS/INS navigation, and a digital command/data link.

≤1.6 lb

Maximum mass

28 in

Deployed wingspan

6

Per EVA-X MINI rack

Mission configurations

One airframe. Three mission roles.

The common air vehicle carries a different modular nose and mission software profile depending on the assigned role.

I1-EO/IR

Observation / Tracking

Stabilized day/night observation and tracking payload with real-time video and data.

I1-LR

Long-Range Recon

Endurance/reconnaissance configuration with larger energy allocation and a mapping payload.

I1-R

Communications Relay

Communications-relay configuration with a digital networking payload.

Common air vehicle specifications

One design baseline across all three roles.

Maximum mass

≤1.6 lb / 0.73 kg

Deployed wingspan

28 in / 711 mm target

Overall length

17 in / 432 mm target

Folded width

≤3.8 in / 97 mm target

Wing area

~2.05 ft² / 0.190 m² preliminary

Wing loading

~0.78 lb/ft² at 1.6 lb

Propulsion

Electric pusher

Battery

220–320 Wh, mission dependent

Endurance objective

45–75 min, mission dependent

Cruise target

45–60 mph

Max-speed objective

80–100 mph; requires validation

Recovery

Belly landing, parachute, or expendable

Preliminary mass budget

An open engineering problem, not a solved one.

The first-pass mass budget intentionally exposes a closure issue rather than hiding it.

Not yet closed

The shown allocation totals ~800 g against a 730 g goal — the design must remove ~70 g or reduce battery/payload mass. A 220–320 Wh battery is unlikely to fit a 730 g total-aircraft target using conventional cells; battery energy, endurance, and total mass require a detailed cell-level trade study before the 1.6 lb requirement can be frozen.

Component

Target

Composite airframe / wing / tail

~180 g

Battery (baseline configuration)

~230 g

Motor / ESC / propeller

~85 g

Flight computer / GNSS / INS

~55 g

C2 / telemetry

~45 g

Payload sensor / relay module

~80 g

Servos / actuators / wiring

~45 g

Wing-fold / locking hardware

~40 g

Margin

~40 g

Total (shown allocation)

~800 g vs. 730 g goal

Aerodynamic baseline

Built for loiter and recovery, not top speed.

The 28 in span / ~2.05 ft² preliminary wing gives very low wing loading at the stated mass. The aerodynamic design prioritizes predictable deployment, low-speed stability, efficient loiter, and robust autonomous recovery.

Target cruise L/D

≤1.6 lb / 0.73 kg

Stall-speed objective

~20–30 mph, CLmax/mass dependent

Cruise power objective

~60–100 W preliminary

Maximum electrical power

~250–350 W preliminary

Service ceiling objective

Up to 12,000 ft; requires validation

Turn-radius objective

Mission dependent; not frozen

Electrical / avionics architecture

U.S./allied autopilot, encrypted link, onboard autonomy.

Flight controller

Compact U.S./allied autopilot with GNSS/INS

Navigation

GNSS + inertial; optional visual navigation

C2

Encrypted digital command/telemetry link

Payload data

Digital video/data interface

Power

Single propulsion battery, regulated avionics rails

Autonomy

Waypoint nav, search patterns, tracking, geofence, return/divert

Six-I1 payload magazine

A protected magazine, not an exposed payload rack.

Six I1 aircraft ride in a 2-column × 3-vertical-level magazine (470 × 255 × 380 mm), each ≤1.40 lb for ≤8.4 lb total, plus a ~1.2 lb rack.

Rack quantity

6 aircraft

Folded envelope

~17 in long × ≤3.8 in wide; height TBD

Retention

Positive mechanical latch

Electrical interface

Preflight health / charging / maintenance

Release verification

Position/status sensing

Carrier compatibility

EVA-X MINI D, H2-C, and H2-L common bay

Detailed release loads and separation envelopes require physical testing.

Modular nose

Quick-swap payload options.

The modular nose design allows the same airframe to be reconfigured for the assigned mission without a different aircraft.

Verification program

What has to be proven before this is frozen.

Mass and center-of-gravity closure with real battery cells and payload hardware
Wing-fold cycle testing and positive-lock verification
Static structural proof test of wing, hinge, motor mount, and carrier interface
Propulsion bench testing across the selected propeller and battery operating range
Autopilot hardware-in-the-loop testing and lost-link/geofence verification
Ground deployment tests followed by controlled low-risk airborne separation tests
Flight-envelope expansion for stall, cruise, endurance, recovery, and environmental limits
EMI/EMC, vibration, thermal, and weather-resistance qualification

Release status

Stated exactly as the engineering team wrote it.

Revision A Status

Conceptual optionally armed ISR/communications air vehicle, released for mass closure, aerodynamic design, component sourcing, and CAD development. Performance values remain engineering objectives until validated.

Weapon payload, kinetic effect, explosive system, or weapon-delivery interface is optional in this design.

Small aircraft. A bigger tomorrow.

See how I1 fits inside the carrier.

I1 rides six-to-a-rack inside the EVA-X MINI and EVA-X GHOST payload bay — request the full Rev A specification to review planning estimates, open engineering items, and the validation path.