Boeing making solar-powered spy plane that will fly non-stop for five years
By ANIMonday, September 20, 2010
LONDON - US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is developing a solar-powered unmanned aircraft that will be able to fly non-stop for more than five years.
The SolarEagle is designed to soar in the upper atmosphere for years on end, constantly sending surveillance and intelligence information back to the ground.
According to the Daily Mail, the US military has given Boeing an 89 million dollar contract to develop a Solar Eagle demonstrator vehicle, which will make its first flight in 2014.
The aircraft will have highly efficient electric motors and propellers and a 400-foot wing for increased solar power and aerodynamic performance.
‘SolarEagle is a uniquely configured, large unmanned aircraft designed to eventually remain on station at stratospheric altitudes for at least five years,’ said Pat O’Neil, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for Vulture II.
‘That’s a daunting task, but Boeing has a highly reliable solar-electric design that will meet the challenge in order to perform persistent communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from altitudes above 60,000 feet.’
Phantom Works, Boeing’s research and development arm are developing SolarEagle. (ANI)
