Zephyr solar UAV sets yet another flight record: 7 days and counting!
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted July 17th 2010 6:37PM
posted July 17th 2010 6:37PM
This certainly is an interesting time for solar powered flight. Solar Impulse just returned from a 26-hour manned test flight, and now QinetiQ's Zephyr, a drone who we last saw clocking over 83 hours in-flight is in the air again: this time, it's more like seven days and counting! The craft, which took off from the Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona last Friday, is being billed as an "eternal aircraft," one that can stay aloft for extremely long periods of time for use as recon and communications platforms. The previous world endurance record for a UAV was set by NASA's Global Hawk, which stayed aloft for 30 hours and 24 minutes.
QinetiQ's Zephyr solar powered unmanned aircraft soars to new world records
Zephyr soars to new world records
QinetiQ today (14:40 UK time on Friday 16 July) announced that Zephyr, the leading solar powered high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) Unmanned Air System (UAS) has been flying for the past week, smashing a number of long-standing world records.
Currently flying high above the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, Zephyr has already passed the seven day / 168 hour mark and the clock is still running. This DOUBLES the unofficial world record for longest duration unmanned flight of 82 hours, 37 minutes set in 2008 and already held by Zephyr, and is well in excess of the current official world record of 30 hours 24 minutes set by Northrop Grumman's RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001.
As a bold statement of intent QinetiQ invited the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world air sports federation, to oversee the flight and an FAI Official has been monitoring progress at the Yuma Proving Ground. Zephyr's world records will not become official until the aircraft is safely back on the ground.
The current goal is to fly for a further week and prove Zephyr is the world's first truly eternal plane, capable of providing a low-cost, persistent surveillance capability over months rather than days. Potential applications include earth observation and communications relay in support of a range of defence, security and commercial requirements.
The current Zephyr aircraft is a genuine breakthrough design, drawing on the latest technology and represents a massive leap forward in engineering excellence incorporating an entirely new wing design.
"The team has worked tirelessly over the past few years, making truly significant leaps forward in overall design and construction - and to see it successfully soar into the sky was fantastic," explained Jon Saltmarsh, Zephyr Programme Director. "By being able to remain over a location for weeks or months at a time, it can usefully deliver a host of practical and more affordable solutions to both civil and military customers."
Launched by hand, the aircraft flies by day on solar power delivered by amorphous silicon solar arrays no thicker than sheets of paper that cover the aircraft's wings. These are also used to recharge the lithium-sulphur batteries, supplied by Sion Power Inc, which are used to power the aircraft by night. Together they provide an extremely high power to weight ratio on a continuous day/night cycle, thereby delivering persistent on-station capabilities.
Around 50% larger than the previous Zephyr, technical changes now mean it has a 22.5m wingspan to accommodate more batteries that are combined with a totally new integrated power management system. The entirely new aerodynamic shape and high "T" tail also contribute to reduce drag and improve performance. The payload capacity will meet a number of key surveillance and communication requirements already demonstrated by Zephyr over the past three years. Zephyr's ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre design also means it weighs in at just over 50Kg.
Unlike conventional manned or unmanned aircraft now being operated, Zephyr does not need to return to base at regular intervals for re-fuelling or servicing which also helps minimise the logistical supply chain and extend its operational capability.
that, is amazing. what about food?
@zevobh
They live on love.
@zevobh
UAV unmanned areal vehicle. or something like that :P
@zevobh UAV means unmanned aerial vehichle the main word there is unmanned kk thanks bye
@zevobh
The Dream: To see this one day adapted to commercial air vechiles
The Reality: Gas companies will never let it happen.
@Plazmic Flame
The true truth: this only works because it is unmanned, it would take ages for solar technology to become efficient enough to carry a couple of human beings, leave alone a full commercial scale number of people.
Fuel companies don't mind it, but they're not actively holding it back either.
@Plazmic Flame half of the revenue oil companies make is from consumer goods and natural gas. They would be fine if tomorrow all cars ran on water.
@graey Not only is there solar energy but also cosmic and electro magnetic energy all around us mainstream commercial science has not touched. NASA has done a lot of work in this, and has been on the news.
@zevobh
Are airplanes piloted by woman considered UAVs, or just liabilities?
@Ducman69
We live in the 21st century..
Way to degrade women, you F*****N prick.
@zevobh
You know what would be amazing? A coal powered airplane. Now THAT would be an engineering feat that has yet to be achieved.
..I'm just sayin'...its true.
@Ducman69
Even though that was a stupid comment......
The military isn't calling them UAVs any more. Now they are RPVs...Remotely Piloted Vehicles
@uckApple Gosh, you on your period or something? It was clearly just an obvious sexist joke. Rage less.
@EL No sense of humor.
And surely not all UAVs are RPVs. Some UAVs are autonomous and not piloted from the ground.
Read about this on BBC News a few days ago, pretty sure this falls into the latter category of autonomous UAVs.
@graey did you not read this bit "Solar Impulse just returned from a 26-hour manned test flight"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10550430
@zevobh Great...just another reason for the machines to "scorch the skies".
@Ducman69 I thought the joke was funny. Damn people are so touchy nowadays and take everything serious.
oh, no people in it? remote controlled?
@zevobh
It's an Unmanned beast.
@cdf74dc9
More like a Kenyan of the skys
Our UAV is on-line.
@tobsmonster2
we do not need machines that can run for ever.
Our skynet is online..............
@DefPoet
Umm, he was making a CoD reference, I guess you aren't young enough to get it...
@tobsmonster2
Enemy AC130 above !!!
@vvtopkar
BAh now i remember i skipped Modern Warfare 2 because of the asshats at infinity ward and no dedicated serves been years since ive played :P
@DefPoet
I agree. MW2 is a complete mess of a game. I play it on occasion because there's NOTHING else out for shooters on the Xbox (well nothing good that's recent).
The only company to surpass the terribleness of CoD's servers is 2K.
Seriously, the CoD franchise has been in a tailspin since CoD 2.
@zevobh UAV = Unmanned aerial vehicle
ENEMY UAV SPOTTED!
Counter UAV is up, they're blind.
@Teslanaut LMAO I never knew what UAV meant. Even after playing Modern Warafare
@Fr3sh2De4th
So, never learned to use Google or Wikipedia, did you?
@graey
-.-
What, is someone not allowed to just not know what something means?
Do they always have to "google" it?
Grow up, for the sake of whom ever your destined to have a relationship with, if you ever do.
@Teslanaut
Tango sukkat!!
@uckApple
Go Away Troll.
@murc
Sticking up for someone on the internet automatically makes you a troll these days?
@tophat
Depends in what situation. There was hardly any sticking up to do anyway, it wasn't even half serious.
And even if it was, there's calmer and more reasonable ways of doing sticking up for someone. It's quite funny that you think that you can deduct how much growing up I have to do one short post.
As solar panels continue to increase in power, I think there is a very real possibility that they will be installed on most future commercial aircraft within 10 -20 years.
@wemustcontrolpeople
Hate to burst your bubble, but no there isn't. (Damn you physics!)
@Timmmmmm You're telling me that they can't build a new aircraft with solar panels in it's wings and use them in conjunction with normal jet fuel or another fuel source to help power a plane? You might want to explain that a little further...
@wemustcontrolpeople
A jet uses compressed air/fuel mixture for thrust. Which propells the plane. How on earth a solar panel will be adapted is beyond comprehension. Please stop thinking green and pick a science book. Just because you hear solar in the news doesnt mean it's the new thing!! It has been around for a very long time. It is just not feasible and no oil companies werent suppressing it. If so explain satelites that use solar/cell batts for power? Solar is a niche power generation market. If it werent for govt (subsidies) it wouldnt have taken off.
Unless someone can devise a way to bend the laws of physics so that a panel can generate more electrons than the amount of photons that strike it, dont hold your breath.
@wemustcontrolpeople
Commercial aircraft are flying just fine with their powerful turbine engines that can haul muchisimo weight.
Gunna be a long time before electric surpasses that, especially at the slow pace of aircraft development.
@nastro Ahem, I think you're the one who isn't thinking. Think of all the power that is used by a commercial aircraft that does not go to powering the engines. Planes would not need be reliant on the power provided by solar panels; rather, the solar panels would be added in addition to the current set-up of commercial aircraft.
Also, when did I mention anything oil companies were suppressing solar power? And finally, if you knew anything about the photovoltaic industry, you would know that solar energy usage doubles about every two years and is met with constant breakthroughs in technology, such as nanowire solar cells that may offer 65% efficiency:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100616122320.htm
And this new manufacturing technique that could reduce cost significantly:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100520093036.htm
@nastro
Sure, solar won't work to power the engines, but how about all of the electronics on the plane? So many of these planes have entertainment built in now, as well as all the flight instrument, and even the stuff used in the galley.
@DavidW http://www.seattlepi.com/business/174159_electric20.html
Name changed but the 787 no longer uses the engines to power its hydraulics, AC etc. It runs off of a Fuel Cell I believe. Which is '0 emission' but still probably a greater electrical demand than can be supplied from solar exposure to the wings.
It would also probably add a lot of excess weight and reduce the efficiency of the engines beyond the electricity gained.
@DavidW
So you want a plane where the solar panel powered electronics only work during the day?
@EL batteries maybe?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10550430
@Stewsam
It makes sense to carry around the weight of batteries when your plane is getting its propulsion from solar power.
It does not make sense to carry around the weight of batteries when your plane is carrying a bunch of fuel and is already spinning up turbines for propulsion that can easily also provide electricity for the cabin and electronics.
And, no, technology is not at the point that you can get enough power from solar panels to power a regular weight aircraft.
This works great since its so extremely light weight. Add a couple hundred pounds to it, and the wingspan has to be so great it would be slow and suck ass in even light turbulence.
The enemy's jamming our radar!
Raspberry?? There's only one man who would dare use the raspberry....Lonestar!!
A few bonus points for this thing since here in Yuma it's been above 110˚ for most of the last week.