Zephyr-7 solar-powered unmanned aircraft stayed in the air for 11 days in winter conditions

We are talking about the non-stop flight, the perfect aircraft Zephyr-7 in winter conditions, in the Southern Hemisphere (where the device was tested, the developers have not reported). True, he flew at an altitude of more than 21 kilometers, so that the impact of weather conditions on this aircraft was minimal. Nevertheless, the aircraft once again showed its own reliability in long-term flights without intermediate landings.

Zephyr-7 is a fairly large aircraft, its wingspan is 23 meters, and its payload is more than 50 kilograms. It is worth noting that the “solar aircraft” is referred to as a high altitude pseudo-satellite (High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite, HAPS), precisely because of its ability to remain a couple of tens of kilometers above the surface for many days.
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For the first time, the Zephyr-7 aircraft was equipped with a satellite communications system so that the replaceable operators could monitor the position of the drone after it went beyond the limits of visibility of ground-based observers. Tests of the "solar" aircraft led to the need to involve several British military organizations involved in the control of airspace and aviation, so the aircraft was assigned a military registration number: PS001. According to the developers, Zephyr-7 is the first pseudo satellite that received such a number.

Among other things, the project is partially funded by another military organization: the UK Department of Defense. Yes, and created a drone, as far as can be judged, for the military. In any case, the project worked defense company QinetiQ (also from the UK). That is why now there are not so many technical details about the project. But such information is in relation to the predecessors of "Zephyr"

Last year, Airbus bought the project from QinetiQ. The goal of the current project is to demonstrate the capabilities of pseudo-satellites, which are positioned as an inexpensive observation and communications tool.

To recharge the batteries, the aircraft uses solar panels placed on the wings, which accumulate enough energy for all systems to work even at night. Previously, Zephyr-7 and its predecessors were tested under milder conditions , in the summer with a long day and a short night (and milder weather conditions), so that the current tests really became a serious test for the "solar" aircraft.

Via defensenews