A solar-powered, pilotless drone flew nonstop for 26 days, breaking the record for the longest flight of an uncrewed aircraft, according to a new statement. Unusually, the drone’s developers didn’t publicize this achievement loudly, but the vehicle’s long and winding journey was recorded by online flight tracking data.
An AirBus Zephyr S spent 26 non-stop days in the air on July 11, as demonstrated by aircraft tracking platform FlightRadar24.
After taking a trip from Arizona to Belize, the drone returned to the United States and spent the remainder of its flight over Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. During his flight here, he also managed to find time to write the number “26” and the letters “USA” with the flight route.
This long journey, if confirmed, will break the record for longest uncrewed flight. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the previous record for longest uncrewed flight was the 25 days 23 hours 57 minutes flight over Arizona by Zephyr S from July 11 to August 5, 2018.
Zephyr can be described as a super-light drone with a wingspan of 25 meters and weighing less than 75 kilograms. It is fully solar powered, using its secondary batteries that are charged in daylight to power its night flights.
His last voyage was very close to the U.S. Army’s Yuma Probation Field in Arizona. It was flying at an altitude of about 20,634 meters, significantly higher than commercial aircraft, which typically make their flights between 10,058 and 12,801 meters.
Uncrewed aircraft could potentially be used in many different fields, but Airbus says one of its primary purposes is to capture high-definition imagery and video for intelligence gathering. It also has the potential to provide internet communications to disconnected parts of the world.
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