Zephyr solar drone set three new records

The Zephyr unmanned aerial vehicle, powered by solar panels on its wings and hull, set three new records at once. If you remember, this drone was created by the research company Qinetiq, which created a truly unique device that breaks all our ideas about drones. About drone records with a delicious name - in the sequel.

As for the first record, it is very impressive - Zephyr lasted 336 hours, 22 minutes, 8 seconds in the air. Thus, Zephyr broke its previous record - continuous flight for 10 days . And the flight stopped, not because there were any problems, just the creators decided that they should not continue to test the ability of Zephyr to stay in the air, everything is clear. Such a long work of the aircraft was made possible thanks to an interesting design that provides for the placement of ultrathin solar cells on the wings and tail of the device. Solar panels, by the way, are made of amorphous silicon, and do not exceed a sheet of paper in thickness. The aircraft itself is made of carbon fiber.
')
The device can lift into the air cargo weighing four kilograms. According to the developers, Zephyr can perform a wide range of tasks from various fields, from meteorological research to reconnaissance missions. From the height to which the apparatus is able to rise (more on that later), it is almost impossible to fix it.

That height concerns the second record set by the device this year. Its creators claimed that the Zephyr is able to rise by 18 thousand meters, but he was able to climb to an even greater height - by 21,562 meters, this is an absolute record for aircraft of this class.

Well, finally, the third record is a derivative of the first record - this drone has reached the maximum duration of flights among the aircraft of its class (weighing from 50 to 100 kilograms).

Via inhabitat