Country of origin:

Great Britain

Description:

Long-range solar electric-powered research aircraft

Power Plant:

Two 0.45 kw (0.60 hp) Newcastle University custom permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors

Specifications:

History:

The Zephyr is a solar-powered, high-altitude long-endurance UAV initially developed by QinetiQ, a British company, which became part of the Airbus High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HMAPS) program, becoming known as the Airbus Zephyr.  The system was sold to EADS Atrium in March 2013, the Company later becoming Airbus Defence & Space. The first aircraft was originally designed and built in 2003.

An early-built aircraft set three world-records in 2010 including a record for longest endurance flight for an unmanned aircraft of 336 hours 22 mins and 8 seconds, and a record altitude of 18,805 m (61,686 ft), being the highest altitude reached in the United Arab Emirates, and a record for the longest flight in the UAE of 23 hours 47 mins.  This flight was under the auspices of engineers from the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology and Airbus Defence & Space.

The main feature of the design was the ability to fly into the stratosphere, thus providing the benefits of a satellite in terms of altitude and application, and an aircraft in terms of re-usability, flexibility and land coverage.

The Zephyr S, previously known as the Zephyr 8, was evaluated by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and initially two platforms were ordered in February 2016 with an optional third the following August, these forming part of an Operational Concept Demonstrator to assess its capabilities and potential for use by the UK military and other Government departments. Part of the program was the trialling of a datalink that could transmit real-time imagery and video via a 3G cellular system and subsequently 4G, Roke Manor Research being contracted to develop a data link capable of operating UAVs at high altitudes and communicating with infrastructure at a distance of 50 km (31 miles).

Development of the design lead to various applications for the aircraft including thermal imaging, Full HD video imaging, environmental monitoring, emergency services support, the creation of temporary communications networks and the enhancement of navigation systems.
The Zephyr 7 aircraft was demonstrated to the United States military in 2008. A scaled variant known as the Zephyr 6 made an 82 hour flight at an altitude of 18,593 m (61,000 ft).  In 2014 an example flew for 11 days in winter in a test of its performance.

Construction is of carbon-fibre and power is provided using sunlight to charge a lithium-sulphur battery during the day, which powers the aircraft at night, the batteries powering electric motors driving two propellers. It can circle over a particular area for extended periods with emphasis being on civil and military applications. The developed Zephyr 8, now known as the Zephyr S, commenced flight testing in 2018 in a twin-tailed configuration and has 24 kg (53 lb) of batteries and a 5 kg (11 lb) payload.

A 100 per cent solar-powered High-Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HMAPS) aircraft, the machine flies autonomously for months filling a capability gap between satellites and unmanned aerial systems. On 5 June 2018 the Western Australian Premier announced that Wyndham would be the world’s first operational site for the launch and recovery of Zephyr aircraft, a crew of up to 20 Airbus employees being involved in its operations.  Wyndham was chosen by Airbus due to its largely unrestricted airspace and reliable weather. It was stated two variants would be operated, the Zephyr S and the Zephyr T, the latter having a wingspan of 32 m (105 ft) and weighs 145 kg (320 lb), operations commencing in late 2018.

The prototype first flew in Arizona in 2018 at which time it rmained in the air for almost 26 days by recharging its batteries with solar power in flight.

Two examples have been involved in accidents.  On 15 March 2019 it was reported a flight was “interruped earlier than planned due to adverse weather conditions”, but Air Services Australia confirmed it had crashed near Wyndham, WA, with no-one being hurt. On 28 September 2019 another one encountered severe turbulence on take-off on a test flight 442 km (275 miles) south-west of Darwin, NT and was destroyed.

In 2021 flight tests of the Zephyr S reached almost three weeks, the machine landing in Arizona on 13 September after completing six flights, four low level and two stratospheric flights.  Each of the stratospheric flights lasted around 18 days, the machine reaching an altitude of 23,195 m (76,100 ft).