British company Prismatic has been working on a solar-powered drone that will be capable to stay airbone for about a year, without the need for maintenance.
The drone can carry a payload of 15Kg while the drone itself weighs 150Kg. The number 35 comes from the fact that that is its wingspan. How does it plan to stay airborne for so long? Solar power, of course.
It will also have a rechargeable battery that will be able to sustain the drone through the night as it will fly some 50 to 78 knots at an altitude of 55-70,000ft and maintain that position throughout the seasons, while also being able to cope with all weather conditions.
The drones, when they will be put into use, will most likely find uses in tracking the movement of ships, inspecting traffic, monitoring forest fires and other natural disasters, as well as photographing military targets and checking up on the movements of military troops.
The test flights for the drone are scheduled for 2019 and at the moment the only version of the PHASA-35 available is the smaller scale model dubbed the PHASE-8.
This smaller scale model had two flight tests, so far, one where it flew for 75 minutes and another that lasted for 2 hours. Both were successful.
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