Platform Selection Guide
Aether-10 vs Vanguard-14
Both platforms are NDAA-compliant, ArduPilot-based, and manufactured in North Carolina. The right choice depends on your group classification requirement, endurance needs, and AI compute depth. This guide breaks it down.
Start Here
If one of these describes your requirement, your platform is likely already clear.
- Group 2 classification required
- MTOW under 40kg hard requirement
- Research, monitoring, or academic program
- AI autonomy is optional or future-state
- Budget is a primary constraint
- Operator experience is limited — simpler platform preferred
- Group 3 classification acceptable or required
- Extended endurance (6–12 hr) is mission-critical
- AI inference at the edge is a current requirement
- BVLOS with encrypted comms required
- Defense research laboratory or operational ISR role
- Closed-loop autonomous control is the objective
Side-by-Side Specifications
Fixed-wing configuration. VTOL variants available for both platforms.
| Specification | Aether-10 Group 2 | Vanguard-14 Group 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe | ||
| Wingspan | 2.6m (8.5 ft) | 3.6m (11.8 ft) |
| MTOW (Fixed-Wing) | 35kg (77 lbs) | 40kg (88 lbs) |
| MTOW (VTOL) | 40kg (88 lbs) | 45kg (99 lbs) |
| UAS Group | Group 2 | Group 3 |
| Performance | ||
| Endurance | 2–5 hours | 6–12 hours |
| Cruise Speed | 30 m/s (67 mph) | 25 m/s (56 mph) |
| Max Speed | 35 m/s (78 mph) | 38 m/s (85 mph) |
| Wind Resistance | Up to 25 mph | Up to 30 mph |
| Payload Capacity (FW) | 4kg (8.8 lbs) | 6kg (13.2 lbs) |
| Payload Capacity (VTOL) | 6kg (13.2 lbs) | 8kg (17.6 lbs) |
| AI & Compute | ||
| AI Compute (Standard) | None (standard autopilot) | NVIDIA Orin AGX (all tiers) |
| AI Compute (Upper Tiers) | NVIDIA Orin AGX (Mission Ready only) | NVIDIA Thor AGX (Professional+) |
| AI Compute Power | Up to 275 TOPS (Orin) | Up to 2,000 TOPS (Thor) |
| Closed-Loop AI Control | Optional (Mission Ready) | Standard (Professional+) |
| Communications & Operations | ||
| Primary Radio | RFD900x (40km) | RFD900x (40km) |
| Starlink Integration | Professional+ tiers | Professional+ tiers |
| Encrypted Comms | Optional | Standard (Professional+) |
| BVLOS Capable | Professional+ tiers | All tiers |
| Flight Controller | ArduPilot (both platforms share architecture) | |
| Sensor | ||
| Standard EO/IR | FLIR VIO F1 | FLIR VIO F1 |
| LiDAR Option | — | ORUS L (Mission Ready) |
| Compliance | ||
| NDAA Section 848 | ✓ Compliant | ✓ Compliant |
| 100% Domestic Electronics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bill of Materials (component-level) | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
The Differences That Actually Matter
Specs tell part of the story. Here is what each difference means operationally.
Endurance: 2–5 hrs vs 6–12 hrs
This is the most consequential difference for most buyers. The Aether-10 covers area surveys, monitoring sorties, and training missions within a 2–5 hour window — sufficient for the majority of research and academic use cases. The Vanguard-14's 6–12 hour endurance is purpose-built for persistent ISR, wide-area surveillance, and missions where relaunching isn't operationally acceptable. If your mission timeline extends past 4 hours without a recovery window, the Vanguard-14 is the correct platform.
AI Compute: Orin vs Thor AGX
The Aether-10's Mission Ready tier includes NVIDIA Orin AGX — 275 TOPS of AI compute, appropriate for development, testing custom models, and running inference workloads in research contexts. The Vanguard-14 steps up to NVIDIA Thor AGX at 2,000 TOPS on Professional and Mission Ready tiers. That gap matters when you're running large vision models, multi-sensor fusion, or real-time autonomous decision loops that can't tolerate inference latency. For AI development and initial training, Orin is sufficient. For production-grade autonomous operations, Thor is the requirement.
Group Classification: 2 vs 3
DoD Group classification affects airspace coordination requirements, operational authority thresholds, and which units can deploy which platforms under standing procedures. Group 2 (Aether-10, MTOW under 55 lbs fixed-wing) typically involves fewer coordination requirements at the unit level. Group 3 (Vanguard-14, MTOW 55–1,320 lbs) may require additional operational authority at some commands. If your program has a hard Group 2 ceiling — by budget authority, operational policy, or airspace constraint — the Aether-10 is the only viable option from this lineup.
Encrypted Communications
The Vanguard-14 includes encrypted communications as a standard feature on Professional and Mission Ready tiers. The Aether-10 offers it as an option. For programs with OPSEC requirements or operating in contested RF environments, this distinction matters at the procurement stage — not after delivery.
By Mission Type
Common use cases mapped to the appropriate platform.
| Mission / Use Case | Recommended Platform | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| University research program | Aether-10 | Group 2, lower cost, optional AI for autonomy research |
| Environmental / agricultural survey | Aether-10 | Fixed-wing endurance covers large area in single sortie |
| AI autonomy development | Aether-10 Mission Ready | Orin AGX sufficient for development; lower cost testbed |
| Persistent ISR / surveillance | Vanguard-14 | 6–12 hr endurance, encrypted comms, BVLOS-standard |
| Defense research laboratory testbed | Vanguard-14 | Thor AGX, closed-loop AI, encrypted ops, developer API |
| Contested / degraded comms environment | Vanguard-14 | Encrypted comms standard; autonomous operation reduces link dependency |
| Operator training program | Aether-10 | Simpler platform, lower risk, lower cost per flight hour |
| Multi-agent / swarm research | Vanguard-14 | Thor AGX compute handles multi-agent coordination; relay capability |
| State / local government monitoring | Aether-10 | Group 2, NDAA-compliant, straightforward procurement path |
| SOF experimental program | Vanguard-14 | Group 3 endurance, encrypted, closed-loop AI for advanced TTPs |
Start with Aether-10, Upgrade to Vanguard-14
Organizations that begin with the Aether-10 have a direct upgrade path to the Vanguard-14. Both platforms share ArduPilot architecture and similar flight characteristics — operator training completed on the Aether-10 transfers directly. No retraining from scratch.
This makes the Aether-10 a practical entry point for programs that anticipate Group 3 requirements in future funding cycles but need to demonstrate capability at Group 2 now.
Still Not Sure Which Platform Fits?
Tell us about your mission requirements and we will give you a direct recommendation — no sales pressure, just an honest assessment of which platform fits your program.