Zephyr UAV
Us military structure APNT/CFT Space announced the suspension of the program operation of an Autonomous UAV series "Zephyr" at least until 2023. The reason was the sudden and mysterious disaster, the most successful of the device Zephyr 8. No details were not disclosed, however, the military is clearly depressed – this UAV has already managed to establish a series of world records and has established itself from the best side.
The program "Zephyr" was launched in 2003, the main contractor chose British company QinetiQ, and in 2008 the first Zephyr set the world record, held out in the air 54 hours. The record of the last models Zephyr 8 is 64 days, during which the UAV has overcome the 56 thousand km of This type of aircraft, in principle, has no restrictions in distance or by time of flight, and if not for a mysterious accident, Zephyr 8 would fly now.
Zephyr UAV
Zephyr 8 weighs only 75 kg with a wingspan of 25 m, where solar panels are installed gallium arsenide. A third of the weight of the machine, 24 kg, falls on Li-ion battery that allows it to store energy for movement at night. Zephyr 8 is flying at a height of 18 km, in the rarefied atmosphere where minimal air resistance and no risk of complications due to bad weather. Payload in the form of communications equipment allows to use it as a pseudo, mobile communications, equivalent to 25 land-based cell towers. During the flight of the Zephyr 8 set up a series of achievements, such as flying to the international space management from all over the world, testing the efficiency of batteries and solar panels. It has proven its effectiveness as a signal repeater, and has maintained a stable connection for up to 7 days. Zephyr 8 has opened up new opportunities to collect and transfer data over various territories. Other details the U.S. Army refuses to disclose.
