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High altitude long endurance UAV - Zephyr
Zephyr®, the high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) provides a cost effective and persistent capability to collect and disseminate high quality data across wide areas. It has the potential for multi-month flight using solar-electric power and can support different payloads for surveillance and communications.
Zephyr, QinetiQ’s High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), is an ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre aircraft weighing around 30kg.
Click on the blue cross for a larger image.
Click on the blue cross for a larger image.
Zephyr is powered by lithium-sulphur batteries that are recharged during the day using solar power. The aircraft uses a bespoke autopilot system to navigate between waypoints and to remove the requirement for permanent manual operation.
Zephyr has secured a place in the history of UAS development by smashing the world record for the longest duration unmanned flight. The HALE aircraft achieved flight for 14 days and 21 minutes, reaching an altitude of over 70,000 feet in July 2010.
Applications for Zephyr include earth observation and communication relay.
Zephyr has secured a place in the history of UAS development by smashing the world record for the longest duration unmanned flight. The HALE aircraft achieved flight for 14 days and 21 minutes, reaching an altitude of over 70,000 feet in July 2010.
Applications for Zephyr include earth observation and communication relay.
Benefits
• Zephyr’s lightweight structure allows it to travel non-stop over long distances
• The unique propeller design gives the aircraft a high power to weight ratio
• The wing design maximises on thermal air currents to lift the aircraft to high altitudes
• The aircraft flies day and night powered by solar energy – recharging its batteries during the day
• No complicated launching mechanisms - the aircraft is launched by hand
• Zephyr is environmentally friendly
• Flies silently – no noise pollution
• Zephyr’s lightweight structure allows it to travel non-stop over long distances
• The unique propeller design gives the aircraft a high power to weight ratio
• The wing design maximises on thermal air currents to lift the aircraft to high altitudes
• The aircraft flies day and night powered by solar energy – recharging its batteries during the day
• No complicated launching mechanisms - the aircraft is launched by hand
• Zephyr is environmentally friendly
• Flies silently – no noise pollution
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