Solar-Powered UAV Stayed Aloft For Two Weeks

Zephyr, QinetiQ's solar-powered UAV, has officially been awarded three World Records – including one for the longest flight ever by an airplane - two weeks - and one for altitude higher than any current surveillance airplane in its class. These records were achieved on the first flight of the new Zephyr aircraft.

Zephyr Launch

QinetiQ says that because of the UAV’s unique ability to fly higher and longer than any other current aircraft, it offers potential benefits to the military, academic, commercial and scientific users.

The ability to fly 13 miles above the ground allows Zephyr to watch over an area 600 miles in diameter, which has been demonstrated by sending continuous, high resolution live images back to Earth. Qinetiq says this is a big advantage over the intermittent, distant and expensive “snapshot per orbit” from satellites flying 100 miles above the earth. Zephyr has also demonstrated its ability to relay essential military and civil communications in remote areas between simple hand-held radios.

Its persistent flight capability, soon to be months, also means that where other aircraft must eventually land, Zephyr can stay in the air for longer, providing an unrestricted view from high altitude. The company says that Zephyr also offers significant cost savings at just one tenth of the cost of other unmanned aerial vehicles and one hundredth of the cost of a satellite.

“Zephyr is a record breaking piece of aviation design and engineering," said Chris Kelleher, QinetiQ’s chief designer. "It has unique flight capabilities, far beyond any other aircraft and satellites, which could be used in a huge range of scenarios with the lightweight but highly effective payloads we are developing. Aside from the remarkable length of time Zephyr can fly with a light but effective payload, it is extremely cost effective, which is crucial at a time when governments and companies across the globe are looking to tighten their belts.”

Kelleher said the aircraft could potentially help track pirates off the Horn of Africa, alert the authorities about where and how fast forest fires are spreading, and ensure that soldiers’ communications remain unaffected when fighting in mountainous or hilly terrain.

FMI: www.qinetiq.com