A transcontinental autonomous platform. Designed to operate above commercial airspace on a hybrid powerplant, for persistent strategic presence on any allied theatre. Architecture freeze this year; first hardware 2027.
The DF-60 is a strategic-class airframe. It will cruise above commercial traffic for 42 hours, carry a 180 kg modular payload, and launch from standard allied runways or rail-assisted catapult.
Turbofan cruise with electric boost on dash. Fuel burn optimised for 42-hour on-station endurance.
52,000 ft operating altitude. Above commercial, above most contested air defence envelopes.
1,500 ft of hardstand or rail-assisted catapult launch. Recovers on any C-130 capable strip.
Typical strategic profile: depart UK, cruise at the stratosphere ceiling, loiter on target for six hours, return. Fuel allocation and handover between classical uplink and orbital backhaul is automated.
The DF-60 is fire-and-forget over distance. Once above 40,000 ft, the hybrid powerplant runs at its efficiency sweet-spot and comms switch to the Orbital programme's backhaul layer.