Israeli firm signs deal to test Black Eagle 50E drone in U.S.

Israeli Steadicopter announced on March 9 that it signed a services agreement with the U.S.-based company flyAlchemy to support operational deployment and evaluation of its Black Eagle 50E rotary unmanned aerial system in the United States.

The agreement is intended to enable flight demonstrations, customer evaluation programs, and mission development activities aimed at introducing the rotary UAV platform to U.S. government and commercial users.

According to the company, Steadicopter will supply Black Eagle 50E platforms that will be used in demonstration flights and operational assessments carried out at flyAlchemy’s U.S. flight test locations.

Initial activities under the agreement will focus on evaluating the system’s performance in a range of operational scenarios and preparing for potential future deployments.

“Signing this agreement strengthens our operational footprint in the U.S. market and enables us to align our rotary UAV capabilities with real mission requirements,” said Noam Lidor, CEO of Steadicopter.

“The Black Eagle 50E platform provides a flexible and modular ISR solution for a wide range of operational scenarios, and this collaboration creates a strong foundation for expanding our presence in the United States,” he said.

According to the announcement, the cooperation will include flight demonstrations, regulatory alignment activities, and payload integration work designed to adapt the platform for U.S. operational environments.

The companies also plan to conduct mission development activities supporting surveillance, disaster management operations, infrastructure monitoring, and other specialized aerial tasks.

The agreement also includes efforts to prepare certification pathways and training programs that would support the use of the rotary UAV system by future operators in the United States.

Steadicopter said flyAlchemy will provide operational expertise during these activities, including support for flight testing, remote sensing operations, and aerial data collection missions.

The collaboration is intended to combine Steadicopter’s UAV technology with flyAlchemy’s operational experience supporting government missions and advanced aerial data services.

According to the companies, this joint work will help determine how the platform can be integrated into different mission environments.

The Black Eagle 50E is Steadicopter’s flagship rotary unmanned aerial system designed to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability across both land and maritime domains.

Unlike fixed-wing drones that require forward motion to remain airborne, rotary UAV platforms operate more like small helicopters, allowing them to hover over a specific area for extended periods.

This capability makes rotary UAV systems suitable for missions that require continuous observation of a location or target.

According to Steadicopter, the Black Eagle 50E features a modular open architecture that allows operators to configure the aircraft with different sensor and payload packages depending on mission requirements.