Engineering:Airbus Zephyr

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Short description: Series of lightweight solar-powered UAV

Zephyr
An artist's impression of the UAV
General information
National originUnited Kingdom
ManufacturerAirbus Defence and Space
Designerinitially Qinetiq
History
Introduction date2024 [1]
First flightDecember 2005[2]

The Zephyr is a series of high-altitude platform station aircraft produced by Airbus. They were designed originally by QinetiQ, a commercial offshoot of the UK Ministry of Defence. In July 2010, the Zephyr 7 flew for 14 days. In March 2013, the project was sold to Airbus Defence and Space. In the summer of 2022, the Zephyr 8/S flew for 64 days.

The unmanned aerial vehicles are powered by solar cells, recharging batteries in daylight to stay aloft at night. The latest Zephyr 8/S weighs 60 kg (130 lb), has a wingspan of 25 m (82 ft), can reach 23,200 m (76,100 ft) and can lift a 5 kg (11 lb) payload for months. They can be used for mobile phone coverage, environmental monitoring, military reconnaissance or as a communications relay.

Development

Zephyr 3

In 2003, QinetiQ, a commercial offshoot of the UK Ministry of Defence, was planning to fly its Zephyr 3 up to 40 km at 70 m/s (250 km/h; 140 kn), after being released from a high-altitude balloon at 9 km, besting the NASA Helios which had reached 29 km.[3] It was envisionned as an alternative to space satellites, stationed permanently in the stratosphere for environmental monitoring, mobile phone coverage or military applications.[3] The QinetiQ 1 balloon altitude record attempt failed in 2003.[4]

In February 2005, Qinetiq was preparing a demonstration above 30,000 ft for the UK Ministry of Defence at the Woomera Test Range in Australia, for reconnaissance or as a communications relay.[4]

Zephyr 5

Zephyr 5 flew on flight trials at White Sands in 2005.[5]

Zephyr 6

First flew in 2006.[6] Between 28 and 31 July 2008, in a demonstration for the US military at its Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the Zephyr 6 flew for 82 hours and 37 minutes, an unofficial record as the FAI wasn't involved.[7]

Zephyr 7

On 23 July 2010, the Zephyr 7 took the FAI-sanctioned duration record after a 336 hours (14 days), 22 min and 8 s flight,[8] reaching 21,562 m (70,741 ft).[9] It exceeded the nine days (216 hours) of the 1986 round-the-world flight of the Rutan Voyager.[10]

In March 2013, the project was sold to EADS Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space).[11]

In 2014 it flew for 11 days in the short days of winter whilst carrying a small payload for the British Ministry of Defence,[12] and later near civilian airspace.[13]

Zephyr 8/S

In February 2016, the UK Ministry of Defence purchased two Zephyr 8 planes.[14] In August 2016, a third was purchased.[15]

In 2016, a twin-tailed Zephyr T variant, providing a maritime surveillance and communications capability, was scheduled for flight testing in 2018.[16]

In summer 2018, for its maiden flight from Arizona, the Zephyr S remained aloft for 25 days 23 hours 57 minutes, nearly twice as long as the previous record flight of 14 days set by its predecessor.[17] By October 2021, it had flown 2,435 hours.[18]

On 15 June 2022, the Zephyr S took off in Arizona, venturing for the first time into international airspace and over water.[19] On 19 August, the plane was lost over the Arizona desert after a flight time of 64 days.[citation needed] It covered 56,000 km over the southern United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and South America.[20]

The aircraft was lost when one engine component (redesigned since) failed in an unusual high-altitude storm turbulence at 17 km.[1] By early 2023, Airbus planned to launch operations from the end of 2024 with around 18 aircraft.[1] By 2034, a 1,000 aircraft constellation could cover 2.9 billion people, and would provide emergency 4G/5G following natural disasters.[1] The larger Zephyr variant, with twice the payload capacity, is expected for 2026.[1]

Commercial services

In January 2023, the Aalto HAPS company was set up by Airbus to sell its mobile connectivity and earth observation services.[21] In June 2024, a Japanese consortium led by NTT Docomo and Space Compass committed to invest USD$100m in AALTO to commercialise connectivity HAPS services in Asia, targeting a 2026 introduction.[22]

Design

Zephyr 3

The 12 m (39 ft) wide aircraft had a carbon composite frame to weigh 12 kg (26 lb), and 1 kW of solar cells powering five motors.[3]

Zephyr 6

The carbon fiber Zephyr 6 has a 18 m (59 ft) span and weighs 30–34 kg (70 lb) for a 2 kg (4.5 lb) payload.[7] Amorphous silicon solar cells from Unisolar recharge lithium-sulphur batteries from Sion Corporation with twice the energy density of the best alternative, lithium polymer batteries.[7] Launched by hand, it can reach 18 km (60,000 ft).[7] The first version had a battery capacity of 3 kW·h, driving two propellers.[23]

Zephyr 7

Zephyr 7 was larger, at 53 kg,[24] and capable of a maximum altitude between 20 and 21 km,[25] it required five ground crew to launch, as opposed to three previously for the Zephyr 6.[26]

Zephyr 8/S

Designed to fly at 20 km (65,000 ft) for more than a month, the 25 m (82 ft) wide Zephyr 8 is 30% lighter and can lift 50% more batteries than the Zephyr 7.[27] It weighs 60 kg, 40% of which are batteries (24 kg), and the 5 kg payload can transmit video with a 50 cm resolution from above 20 km.[14] They should be able to operate year-round between 40 degrees North and South, while winter operation gets more difficult at higher latitudes.[14]

It used Amprius lithium-ion batteries with silicon nanowire anodes for a 435 Wh/kg specific energy up from 300–320 Wh/kg.[28] Solar cells are high-efficiency, lightweight, and flexible inverted metamorphic multi-junction epitaxial lift-off GaAs sheets manufactured by MicroLink Devices, with specific power exceeding 1,500 W/kg and areal powers greater than 350 W/m2.[29]

One Zephyr can replace 250 cell phone towers.[30] It can be used to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with a wide visual payload coverage of 20×30 km (12.4×18.6 mi) and can be equipped with radar, LIDAR and infrared technologies.[19]

Endurance is targeted for up to 200–300 days.[1] An 8 kg (17.6 lb) mobile connectivity payload can serve up to 100,000 people on the ground.[1] A 5 kg Airbus-developed Opaz optical sensor can deliver 18 cm-resolution imagery.[1]

Specifications

Airbus-QinetiQ Zephyr[31]
Model Span Weight Ceiling Endurance Payload
Zephyr 4 12 m (39 ft) 17 kg (37 lb) 9 140 m (30 000 ft) 6 h
Zephyr 5 16 m (52 ft) 31 kg (68 lb) 11 000 m (36 000 ft) 18 h
Zephyr 6 18 m (59 ft) 30 kg (66 lb) 18 300 m (60 000 ft) 87 h 2 kg (4.4 lb)
Zephyr 7 22,5 m (74 ft) 53 kg (117 lb) 21 000 m (69 000 ft) 336 h 5 kg (11 lb)
Zephyr 8/S 25 m (82 ft) 62-65 kg (137-143 lb) 23,200 m (76,100 ft)[18] 624 h 5 kg (11 lb)
Zephyr T 32 m (105 ft) 145 kg (320 lb) 20 kg (44 lb)

Accidents and incidents

As of August 2022, three hull losses have been reported:

  • March 2019, Wyndham, Western Australia[32]
  • 28 September 2019, Wyndham, Western Australia, during the first flight after the first incident in March 2019[33][32]
  • 19 August 2022, Arizona, just before breaking the record for the longest flight of any aircraft (a total of 64 days)[citation needed]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Craig Hoyle (6 January 2023). "Airbus readies high-flying Zephyr for 2024 service launch". Flightglobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/airbus-readies-high-flying-zephyr-for-2024-service-launch/151546.article. 
  2. ↑ Craig Hoyle (11 July 2006). "Energetic Qinetiq". flightglobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/energetic-qinetiq/68321.article. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Amos, Jonathan (24 June 2003). "Strato-plane looks forward". BBC News. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3016082.stm. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Craig Hoyle (22 February 2005). "UK's Zephyr UAV to be tested for military role". Flight International. https://www.flightglobal.com/uks-zephyr-uav-to-be-tested-for-military-role/59002.article. 
  5. ↑ "QinetiQ's Solar-Powered Zephyr UAV Beats World Record For Longest Duration Unmanned Flight". https://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/09/qinetiqs-solar-.html. 
  6. ↑ "Our History" (in en-GB). https://www.aaltohaps.com/our-history/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Amos, Jonathan (24 August 2008). "Solar plane makes record flight". BBC News. https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7577493.stm. 
  8. ↑ "FAI Record ID No. 16052". FAI. 16 October 2017. https://www.fai.org/record/16052. "Absolute Record of class U (Experimental / New Technologies) for Duration" 
  9. ↑ "FAI Record ID No. 18683". FAI. 29 August 2018. https://www.fai.org/record/18683. "Record of class U (Experimental / New Technologies) for True altitude" 
  10. ↑ Amos, Jonathan (23 July 2010). "'Eternal plane' returns to Earth". BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10733998. 
  11. ↑ "First flight of Astrium's Zephyr solar HAPS" (Press release). Airbus. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013.
  12. ↑ Tovey, Alan (31 August 2014). "Fly 11 days non-stop? Now that's long-haul". Daily Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/11064789/Fly-11-days-non-stop-Now-thats-long-haul.html. 
  13. ↑ Woodrow Bellamy III (1 October 2014). "Airbus Zephyr Proves Value For Civil Operations in Middle East". Avionics Today (Access Intelligence LLC). https://www.aviationtoday.com/2014/10/01/airbus-zephyr-proves-value-for-civil-operations-in-middle-east/. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "MoD to buy high-flying solar planes". BBC. 2 February 2016. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35478489. 
  15. ↑ "MOD buys third record-breaking UAV" (Press release). UK MOD. 17 August 2016.
  16. ↑ "Farnborough 2016: Airbus releases Zephyr T details, outlines CONOPS for systems". Janes. 14 July 2016. http://www.janes.com/article/62274/farnborough-2016-airbus-releases-zephyr-t-details-outlines-conops-for-systems. 
  17. ↑ Dan Thisdell (8 August 2018). "Airbus sets flight endurance record with Zephyr UAV". Flightglobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-sets-flight-endurance-record-with-zephyr-uav-451006/. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Sampson, Ben (15 October 2021). "Airbus Zephyr breaks more aviation records during flight testing". https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/flight-testing/airbus-zephyr-breaks-more-aviation-records-during-flight-testing.html. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Buchaniec, Catherine (2022-07-22). "Up, up and away: Airbus' Zephyr drone breaks flight record high above Arizona". https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2022/07/22/up-up-and-away-airbus-zephyr-drone-breaks-flight-record-high-above-arizona/. 
  20. ↑ "Unexpected end to Zephyr 8's record-smashing 64-day endurance flight". New Atlas. 24 August 2022. https://newatlas.com/aircraft/zephyr-8-mission-ends-abruptly-record-breaking-endurance-flight/. 
  21. ↑ Ben Sampson (23 January 2023). "Airbus brands stratospheric drone business as Aalto". Aerospace testing international. https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/drones-air-taxis/airbus-brands-stratospheric-drone-zephyr-business-as-aalto.html. 
  22. ↑ "NTT DOCOMO and Space Compass partners with Airbus on HAPS, committing to a USD$100 million investment in AALTO" (Press release). AALTO. 3 June 2024.
  23. ↑ Bush, Steve (28 September 2007). "Inside Qinetiq's Zephyr solar powered plane". Electronics weekly. https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/process-rd/inside-qinetiqs-zephyr-solar-powered-plane-2007-09/. 
  24. ↑ "Wing-to-tail guide to Zephyr, the 'eternal' plane". BBC News. 23 July 2010. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-10742411. 
  25. ↑ "British MoD Acquires Solar-Powered Zephyr UAV". 17 February 2016. http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/isr/2016/02/17/british-mod-acquires-solar-powered-zephyr-uav/80513364/. 
  26. ↑ Goodier, Rob (7 July 2010). "Solar Plane Aims for New Record: 3 Months Aloft Without a Pilot or Fuel". Popular mechanics. https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/drones/how-to/a5914/solar-plane-zephyr-uav-record/d. 
  27. ↑ "United Kingdom Ministry of Defence places order for two solar-powered Airbus Zephyr 8s" (Press release). Airbus. 18 February 2016.
  28. ↑ Graham Warwick (13 December 2018). "Record-Breaking Zephyr's Battery Holds eVTOL Potential". Aviation Week & Space Technology. http://aviationweek.com/future-aerospace/record-breaking-zephyr-s-battery-holds-evtol-potential. 
  29. ↑ MicroLink Devices (Oct 17, 2018). "MicroLink Devices Powers Successful Stratospheric Flight of Airbus Defence and Space Zephyr S HAPS Solar Aircraft" (Press release).
  30. ↑ "Zephyr". Airbus. October 2024. https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/defence/uas/uas-solutions/zephyr. 
  31. ↑ "Airbus-QinetiQ Zephyr". AviationsMilitaires.net. https://aviationsmilitaires.net/v3/kb/aircraft/show/2654/airbus-qinetiq-zephyr. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "In-flight break-up involving Airbus Zephyr unmanned aerial vehicle, near Wyndham Airport, Western Australia, on 28 September 2019". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 28 Sep 2020. https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2019/aair/ao-2019-056/. 
  33. ↑ "Outback aviation incident linked to UK Ministry of Defence". 9News. 12 Apr 2019. https://www.9news.com.au/national/news-wa-outback-aviation-incident-linked-to-uk-ministry-of-defence/9419a3a8-532a-4804-921b-8b492b8c068a. 



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