U.S. Army Zephyr 8 ultra-long-range unmanned aerial vehicle demonstration completed August 18
Originally designed and builtby British defense contractor QinetiQ in 2003 and currently operated by Airbus Defense and Space, the Zephyr family of solar-powered hovering drones have been demonstrating their endurance since 2008.
The latest version of Zephyr 8 was created forArmy cross-functional group APNT/Space as part of an effort to develop a platform that can be used for long-term reconnaissance missions and act as a high-altitude pseudo-satellite capable of providing a communications hub equivalent to 25 cell towers.
Taking to the air on June 15, Zephyr 8 wasat an altitude of 18 km, flying over the southern United States, the Gulf of Mexico and South America and covering a distance of 56,000 km, the 64-day flight broke all known unmanned aircraft endurance records.
According to the US Army, as a result of the incident,completed the flight, no one was injured, and other aircraft were not endangered. The incident is currently under investigation and more information will be released as information becomes available. Further flights have been delayed until at least 2023.