Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc., has announced that its TR918 Eagle Eye Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) lifted off the ground for the first time today when it achieved the first flight milestone in this ground breaking, vertical-lift unmanned aircraft program. At 8:54 a.m. (CST) the vehicle lifted vertically off the ground hovered for nine minutes, executed yaw and translation maneuvers and then landed safely on the ground. The vehicle flew a second flight within 30 minutes of the maiden flight’s landing.

“This is a tremendous achievement for Bell Helicopter and our Team Eagle Eye partners,” said Mike Redenbaugh, chief executive officer of Bell Helicopter. “An immense amount of effort and dedication has gone into getting this aircraft in the air successfully.”

Source and more info: Shephard