Airbus' solar unmanned aerial vehicle "Zephyr S" set a world record by flying at an altitude of about 23,200 meters!

The flight time of the two flights was 36 days in total, and practical use as a ground observation and communication relay point is also within sight.

Long flight with solar cells

Zephyr S is called Solar High Altitude Platform System (HAPS), and unlike conventional aircraft, it is designed to be able to fly for a long time with solar cells installed. It has been.

This time, Airbus conducted the test in collaboration with the British Ministry of Defense in Arizona, USA. In a series of high-altitude flight tests, the Zephyr S flew for a total of 36 days over two flights.

Airbus Solar Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

In doing so, it achieved an altitude of 23,195 meters, which is the world record for a drone of this class.

Use in Military Deployment

Also, this time, with permission from the Federal Aviation Administration, we conducted tests outside the regulated airspace and in the airspace shared with commercial aircraft. was confirmed to be able to fly without problems.

About these test results, the person in charge of defense equipment at the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it was an "important achievement toward demonstrating the usefulness of HAPS." Specifically, he seems to think that HAPS will be a new means of deploying the military.

And HAPS is considered not only for military use, but also for use as an alternative to earth observation and communication satellites. For example, if the communication network is cut off due to a disaster, etc., it is conceivable to install communication equipment on Zephyr S and float over the affected area and use it as a communication satellite.

It seems that it is also attracting attention as an earth-friendly means of observation and communication because it flies with solar cells and does not emit carbon dioxide.

Airbus

(written by Mizoguchi)

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