DARPA’s certainly not lost for ambitious projects these days, but it looks like it’s about to get another big one underway nonetheless, with it reportedly now close to awarding contracts for its Vulture program, which aims to build an unmanned aircraft capable of a continuous five-year flight. As whether that feat wasn’t suitable, the aircraft will plus have to be able to carry a 1,000 pound payload, pump out 5kW of onboard ability, and keep up ample speed to resist the winds it’ll come across at 60,000 to 90,000 feet. Needless to say, that’s a lengthy ways from becoming a reality, although it seems that the first phase of the project could soon be kicking off, with Vulture program manager Daniel Newman saying that they’ve had “at least one successful offeror,” and that they’re now close to doling out the first contracts. That initial phase will run for twelve months, and will require contractors to “define the objective system and design both full-scale and subscale demonstrators.” That’ll soon after be followed by phase two, which’ll run through 2012 with the goal of analyzing of a subscale demonstrator capable of flying for three months.

[Via CNET News.com]