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The US military is currently testing a drone stratospheric that has already broken the records of duration flight. Powered by solar panels, had already set a record of 26 consecutive flight days in July. The plane did not stop and subsequently continued to increase the flight time.
His mission was to fly over the southern United States, the Gulf of Mexico, then South America before returning to Yuma, Arizona. However, he did not reach his destination and crashed along the way. According to an American military spokesman, theairplane a ” events encountered August 18th, around 9pm The events leading up to the unexpected end of Zephyr’s flight are currently under investigation. Further information will be communicated once the investigation is complete. “
Vol Temps, Distance and Altitude Records
Flight data shows a rapid descent at 1,385 meters per minute, supporting the hypothesis that it crashes. This did not stop him from destroying several records. The plane flew continuously for 64 days and covered over 30,000 nautical miles, or 55,560 kilometers. The drone has also achieved an elevation 76,100 feet or 23,195 meters.
The zephyr uses his solar panels Recharges the batteries during the day, allowing it to continue flying at night. At that altitude, it is above the clouds and therefore gets maximum sunshine. Eventually, it could replace the use of satellites in certain situations, such as as telecommunications relays or monitoring platform.
Solar energy: Airbus Zephyr sets a new world record
The drone zephyr a power solar broke his own time lapse recordair with 36 consecutive days. The US military now plans to test it with military hardware.
Articles by Louis NephewPosted on 07/25/2022
the Zephyr Airbus continues to accumulate world records. After rising to 21,915 meters above sea level and completing an already record-breaking 26 consecutive day flight, the stratospheric solar-electric drone has just added another ten days to its list on behalf of theFuture Army Command (AFC) which manages military modernization projects. After taking off on June 15, the drone flew over 21,300 meters above Arizona in the United States. The aircraft with a wingspan of 28 meters and weighs 75 kg It can carry a load of 5 kg and is theoretically capable of staying in the air for months, well above air traffic and the vagaries of the weather.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aspn1rqr9jg
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Airbus Zephyr is the first solar-powered stratospheric drone. © Airbus Defense and Space
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Primarily military objectives
The purpose of the device is to replace satellites over a monitoring area of 20-30 km. the drone can be enriched with sensors radar, Lidar et infrared. It is of great interest to the military, for which it would allow satellites to be replaced in the event of a faulty link in order to maintain operational surveillance and communication capabilities. During these tests, the aircraft that had to be totally autonomous Go through a relationship Satellite. In addition to this flight, another test will be performed in the coming weeks to fly over the Pacific Ocean with a payload. It will therefore be a matter of wearing military equipment to ensure communication tests between different American command centers.
Zephyr: a world altitude record for the Airbus stratospheric drone
The Airbus Zephyr solar drone is racking up records. During its final operational validation tests, it managed to reach an altitude of 23,915 meters.
Article by Sylvain Biget, published on 10/14/2021, mmodified 10/15/2021
The gate Better and better its name of “pseudolite”, contraction of pseudo and satellite. Having established flight duration records of 26 days, the Zephyr of Airbus rose to 23,915 meters above sea level, in the sky of Arizona (United States). For the aircraft manufacturer, there was a question of carrying out the final test flights of the aircraft so that it could obtain its status as an operational aircraft. With its wings that last 28 meters ea mass 75 kg, including 24 kg of batteries charged by large solar panels Placed on the wings, it can carry a payload of 5kg.
During the tests, the drone The stratospheric solar electric was therefore able to evolve according to different configurations with different payloads, test its optical systems, its maneuverability in the stratosphere and its ability to precisely align with points on the ground. These flights have also gained US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) approval to fly in the territory’s airspace. This validation is important because, positioning ourselves above the commercial air trafficThe drone must be able to cross it in semi-autonomous mode.
It can replace satellites
The tests also offered the opportunity to test an OPAZ system as a payload. This equipment is designed by Airbus to carry out missions ofearth observation from stratosphere. With its great electro-optical sensors (18 cm) and infrared (70 cm), the device offers precise images and videos of the planet. In total, the Zephyr S will have flown 2,435 hours in the stratosphere during its tests. During its last flights, the drone lasted 18 days in the air, accumulating 887 flight hours. The tests ended a month ago.
Depending on the payload it hosts, the device can be dedicated to many applications. It is therefore able to cover large geographic areas in telephony portable. According to Airbus, it could also replace the equivalent of 250 cellular antennas. It is also capable of carrying out environmental and border surveillance missions. It is of particular interest to the military and in particular the British Ministry of Defense, which is its main customer. The latter is considering the Zephyr as a replacement for the links Satellite lost to keep its communications and surveillance networks operational.
This stratospheric solar-electric drone can replace satellites by performing environmental monitoring missions.
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