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Qinetiq solar-powered aircraft set to break endurance record

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A solar-powered unmanned aircraft has surpassed previous endurance records today flying day and night for two weeks.

The Zephyr vehicle, developed by UK defence company Qinetiq, was hand-launched from a US Army Yuma Proving Ground in the south-western state of Arizona on 9 July.

After landing today, the Zephyr recorded a total flight time of 14 days and 21 minutes, and it is set to break a new world record for the longest unmanned flight following confirmation from an official from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world air sports federation, which has been monitoring progress at the proving ground.

If confirmed, the flight will quadruple Qinetiq’s own unofficial unmanned endurance record of 82 hours 37 minutes set in 2008. It would also surpass the current official world record for the longest flight for an unmanned air system, set at 30 hours 24 minutes by Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001.

Zephyr has also flown longer, non-stop and without refuelling, than any other aeroplane. It significantly passes the Rutan Voyager milestone of 216 hours, three minutes and 44 seconds airborne, which was set in December 1986.

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