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    1. Commercial Aerospace

    Solar-powered Zephyr UAV officially awarded three world records

    Dec. 29, 2010
    FARNBOROUGH, England, 29 Dec. 2010. Zephyr, a hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Qinetiq, has officially won 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. The UAV can be used to improve battlefield communications and surveillance in Afghanistan, track pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and detect bush fires in Australia. These records were achieved on the first flight of the all-new Zephyr aircraft.
    Pennwell web 120 120
    Pennwell web 120 120
    Posted by John McHaleFARNBOROUGH, England, 29 Dec. 2010. Zephyr, a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Qinetiq, has officially won 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. The UAV can be used to improve battlefield communications and surveillance in Afghanistan, track pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and detect bush fires in Australia. These records were achieved on the first flight of the all-new Zephyr aircraft.The hand-launched UAV flies by day on solar power delivered by amorphous silicon solar arrays that cover the aircraft's wings and are no thicker than sheets of paper. These are supplied by Uni-Solar. The solar arrays are also used to recharge the lithium-sulfur batteries that are used to power the aircraft by night and supplied by Sion Power Inc. Together they provide an extremely high power to weight ratio on a continuous day/night cycle, thereby delivering persistent on station capabilities. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) has ratified three records which the QinetiQ HALE Team claimed following Zephyr's long duration flight in July 2010:absolute duration record unmanned -- the longest flying UAV in the world at 336 hours 22 minutes 8 seconds;Class Record UAV (50-500 kilograms) – Altitude -- at a height of 21,562 meters; andClass Record UAV (50-500 kilograms) – Duration -- at a height of 21,562 meters.Previous records beaten include: surpassing the previous world record for the longest flight for an unmanned air system (set at 30 hours 24 minutes by Northrop Grumman's RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001);surpassing the Rutan Voyager milestone of nine days (216hours) three minutes and 44 seconds airborne -- previously the longest flight by an airplane without refuelling and set in Dec 1986; andquadrupling its own unofficial duration record of 82 hours, 37 minutes set in 2008.Around 50 percent larger than the previous version, Zephyr incorporates an entirely new wing design with a total wingspan of 22.5 meters to accommodate more batteries that are combined with a totally new integrated power management system. The entirely new aerodynamic shape also helps to reduce drag and improve performance. Zephyr's ultra-lightweight carbon fiber design means it weighs in at just over 50 kilograms. Flying 13 miles above the ground, Zephyr can watch over a diameter of 600 miles, and has demonstrated this by sending continuous, high resolution live images back to Earth, Qinetiq officials say. This has an 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 stretched to 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.Zephyr also is cost effective -- developed for one tenth of the cost of other UAVs and one hundredth of the cost of a satellite. "Zephyr is a record breaking piece of aviation design and engineering," says 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. This aircraft can 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."

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