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| An artist's impression of the SolarEagle in flight in clouds. The plane will be able to stay aloft for years. |
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The solar-powered spy plane that will be able to fly non-stop for FIVE years
The Daily Mail
Sun September 19, 2010
Boeing is developing a solar-powered unmanned aircraft that will be able to fly non-stop for more than five years.
The SolarEagle is designed to soar in the upper atmosphere for years on end, constantly sending surveillance and intelligence information back to the ground.
Darpa, the US military's has given Boeing an $89 million contract to develop a Solar Eagle demonstaror vehicle which will make its first flight in 2014.
During testing, the SolarEagle demonstrator will remain in the upper atmosphere for 30 days, harvesting solar energy during the day that will be stored in fuel cells and used to provide power through the night.
The aircraft will have highly efficient electric motors and propellers and a 400-foot wing for increased solar power and aerodynamic performance.
'SolarEagle is a uniquely configured, large unmanned aircraft designed to eventually remain on station at stratospheric altitudes for at least five years,' said Pat O'Neil, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for Vulture II.
'That's a daunting task, but Boeing has a highly reliable solar-electric design that will meet the challenge in order to perform persistent communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from altitudes above 60,000 feet.'
SolarEagle is being developed by Phantom Works, Boeing's research and development arm.
Phantom Works is also working on a fighter-sized, unmanned, advanced technology demonstrator called Phantom Ray, scheduled to make its first flight in early 2011.
And it is working on a hydrogen-powered demonstrator called Phantom Eye, a High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft designed to stay aloft for up to four days, also scheduled to make its first flight in 2011.
In July a British-designed, solar-powered aircraft to managed to shatter the endurance record for an unmanned plane.
The Zephyr, designed by British defence firm QinetiQ, completed two weeks of non-stop flight above a US Army range in Arizona before finally coming in to land.
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