The solar-powered Zephyr Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) has just set a new flight record by staying in the air for 36-days…so far. It’s still flying over the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, doubling as a geostationary satellite. A second Zephyr flight is set launch in the coming weeks and travel over the Pacific Ocean.
This second flight aims to demonstrate an Army Futures Command (AFC)-developed prototype payload over multiple combatant commands, and continue to inform high altitude requirements. The Airbus-developed Zephyr is actually the first high-altitude UAS of its kind, capable of persistent and adaptable longevity in the stratosphere. Speaking of unmanned aircraft, the Boeing MQ25 drone is still hard at work performing mid-air refueling missions.
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Ultra-long endurance unmanned platforms have the potential to provide significant military capabilities and enhanced confidence as part of the Army’s diversified multi-layered architecture. We have seen incredible progress in high-altitude platforms in recent years. This experimentation allows us to build on that knowledge by demonstrating multiple payload types, fully exploring the military utility of stratospheric operations, and modernizing areas of deep sensing, long-range targeting and resilient communications,” said Michael Monteleone, Director of the APNT/Space CFT.
