Zephyr Drone Image: Airbus defense
aeronautics
Technology
/ Europe
Sad end
Airbus Zephyr crashes close to breaking record in Arizona
By: Rafael Ramos
On: 8/24/2022
Zephyr Drone
Image: Airbus defense
Airbus' solar drone crashed towards the end of the mission, just before breaking the record for the longest flight. Even so, the drone's extended flight lasted 64 straight days.
The longest flight record belongs to a Cessna 172 piloted by two pilots who remained in the air for 65 days. The plane incorporated changes that allowed for in-flight oil changes and was powered by a hose connected to a truck moving on the ground.
Although it did not end as expected and only a few hours away from breaking the record, Airbus considers the flight to be successful, as it enabled experiments related to in-flight endurance.
"After 64 days of stratospheric flight and the completion of various mission objectives, Zephyr experienced circumstances that ended its current flight. No one was injured. Our teams are currently analyzing over 1,500 hours of stratospheric mission data. - the long flight duration proved to be a positive step towards the Army's high-altitude platform objectives,” said an Airbus Defense representative.
The details behind the drone remain under wraps. The unmanned aircraft has a wingspan of 25 m and has solar panels that generate the energy to drive two propellers at the rear. The energy stored by the solar panels during the day is enough to power the aircraft at night as well.
In addition to solar energy, the drone can reach very high altitudes. Flying high in the stratosphere, the aircraft remains above most terrestrial weather. This allows it to receive uninterrupted radiation from the sun for as long as possible.
The aircraft broke the highest flight record for its category: 76,100 feet (about 23,200 meters).
According to Airbus, there are numerous possible applications for the drone: crop monitoring, forest fire management, surveillance, reconnaissance, among others.
Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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