Green Options » zephyr http://greenoptions.com/tag/zephyr Posts tagged 'zephyr' Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:34:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Solar-Powered Plane Flies for Nearly 83 Hours, Doubles World Record http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/25/solar-powered-plane-flies-for-82-hours-doubles-world-record/ http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/25/solar-powered-plane-flies-for-82-hours-doubles-world-record/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:34:48 +0000 Ariel Schwartz http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/25/solar-powered-plane-flies-for-82-hours-doubles-world-record/ the zephyr

DailyTech reports that defense firm QinetQ has set the unofficial world record for the longest continuous unmanned flight with the Zephyr, a British-built spy plane.

The Zephyr stayed in the air for 82 hours and 37 minutes, besting the previous record of 30 hours and 24 minutes held by Northrup Grumman’s Global Hawk.

The plane, which can be launched by hand, has a carbon fiber skeleton that weighs under 70 lbs and an 18m wingspan covered with silicon solar cells. It is powered by a lithium sulfur rechargeable battery that is twice as efficient as any other battery in the world.

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