UK Government Has Created Solar Aircraft Capable Of Surveillance 24/7

[Obama 2012 1,714]

No no, let's not talk about renewable energy possibilities for aircraft. Let's talk about how we can watch the sheeple!

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http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/16/solar.plane.unmanned.zephyr/index.html?hpt=C2

London, England (CNN) -- An unmanned solar aircraft has smashed the world record for continuous flight.

The "Zephyr" plane, developed by UK defense technology company, QinetiQ, took off from the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona on July 9. Seven days on, it was still flying high.

Zephyr program director, Jon Saltmarsh told CNN: "It's extremely exciting. What we now have is an eternal plane. It has the same amount of fuel at the start of one day as it does at the start of another."

The aircraft has already doubled its own unofficial record of over 82 hours and smashed the previous world record for unmanned flight of 30 hours and 24 minutes, set in 2001 by U.S. aerospace company, Northrop Grumman's RQ-4A Global I.

The Zephyr project was conceived in 2001 and secured funding from the UK's Ministry of Defense (MOD) three years later. After several prototypes, Saltmarsh believes QinetiQ has now created an aircraft that demonstrates genuine military utility.

"It has the persistence to stay up there for long periods of time and it carries payloads that are doing things that the military will find useful."

Saltmarsh says its key role will be in aiding communications.

"Sitting at 60,000 feet it's ideal for getting a line of sight between two people in different valleys," Saltmarsh said. "But it could also carry surveillance payloads."

QinetiQ also says it will save the military money, performing many of the tasks currently carried out by manned aircraft.

Weighing just 53 kilograms (117 pounds), the plane has a wingspan of 22.5 meters (74 feet) and a wing area of around 30 square meters (323 square feet), the top side of which is covered in solar panels thinner than a sheet of paper.

The panels are rigged up to lithium-sulphur batteries which power the plane at night.

QinetiQ began building the latest Zephyr model 18 months ago and hope to start full scale military trials a year from now.

The company says that Zephyr will also find a civilian use helping communications in disaster relief situations, as well as forest fire monitoring.

"You can sit above a fire, with heat sensor technology and identify hotspots very quickly," Saltmarsh said.

Zephyr shows no sign of running out of power anytime soon, and Saltmarsh is hopeful it will stay in the air for another seven days, when the plane will finally return to Earth.

[slim 1,525]

They're not going to spy on sheeple, they're going to use it for forest fires and disaster relief. Says so right there in the article.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You guys seem to love inventing stuff that isn't there.

[Pooky 3,784]

You guys seem to love inventing stuff that isn't there.

Why not believe it from the horse's mouth?

QinetiQ announces first flight trial for Zephyr Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

QinetiQ has completed the first flight trials of Zephyr - a High-Altitude, Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HALE UAV) that has a 12 metre wingspan but weighs just 27 kilograms.

The trials took place at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, USA. Two aircraft were flown for four and a half and six hours respectively, the maximum flight times permitted under range restrictions. The maximum altitude attained was 27,000 feet above sea level.

Designed by QinetiQ, the ultra-light aircraft is solar-electric powered, autonomous and is designed to fly at altitudes in excess of 50,000 feet, above normal commercial air-lanes and most weather. The combination of solar panels on the upper wing surface and rechargeable batteries allows Zephyr to be flown for durations of many weeks and even months.

Caroline Slim, Zephyr's programme director said: "Zephyr uses lightweight solar panels coupled to rechargeable batteries. They are incorporated into the carbon fibre airframe which gives a low weight structure capable of flying at high altitude continuously for several months.

"Zephyr has been transformed from concept to validated flight demonstrator in less than two and a half years. The successful trials at White Sands are testimony to the hard work and expertise of all those involved."

The White Sands trials successfully validated the performance of Zephyr in terms of minimising the power required to maintain flight. Zephyr is less expensive than the platforms that are normally proposed for high altitude flight and the tests proved that a low-cost UAV can provide persistent operations at high altitudes.

Paul Davey, business development director for Zephyr said: "Zephyr can meet a wide range of civil, defence and security applications, including remote sensing, communications and atmospheric sensing.

"For military customers, it can play a major role in providing low cost battle-space awareness but it has also recently been selected as the platform for the Belgian Mercator HALE UAV system, a remote sensing demonstrator that will be used for mapping."

Press Officer: David Bishop

Qinetiq Link

Thing is, I don't see a problem. The only thing new this brings to the table is the ability to remain in the air indefinitely, while making zero carbon emissions in flight (Latest flight has been in the air 7 days already and they think they might land it sometime next weekend). BFHD

Oh, and it's British

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Not what I meant, but that's ok.