QinetiQ Zephyr

Zephyr is a lightweight solar-powered plane engineered by the United Kingdom defence firm, QinetiQ. It is of carbon-fibre construction, and uses sunlight to charge lithium-sulphur batteries during the day, which power the aircraft at night. The aircraft has been designed for use in observation and communications relay.cite news
last = QinetiQ Group PLC
first =
coauthors =
title = Zephyr - QinetiQ High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
work =
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = 14 Sept 2008
url = http://www.qinetiq.com/home/products/zephyr.html
accessdate = 2008-08-25]

The Zephyr holds the world record for the longest duration unmanned flight with a 54-hour, 58,355 foot flight in September 2007.

In a demonstration for the US military, the Zephyr performed beyond the official world record for the longest-duration unmanned flight, however its 82-hour flight did not set an official record due to the fact that the Federation Aeronautique Internationale was not involved in the flight.cite news
last = Amos
first = Jonathan
coauthors =
title = Solar plane makes record flight
work =
pages =
language = BBC
publisher =
date = 2008-08-24
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7577493.stm
accessdate = 2008-08-25]

Technical specifications

* Wingspan: 18m (59ft)
* Weight: 30 - 34kg (66 - 75lb)
* Maximum payload: 2kg (4.5lb) approx
* Maximum altitude: exceeds 18km (60,000ft)

See also

* NASA Pathfinder
* QinetiQ

References

External links

* [http://www.qinetiq.com/home/newsroom/news_releases_homepage/2008/3rd_quarter/qinetiq_s_zephyr_uav.html QinetiQ’s Zephyr UAV achieves another new flight record]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6916309.stm BBC News article about Zephyr]

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