Engineering:ZFWT Solar Eagle
Solar Eagle (Guang-fu-Ying or Guangfuying, 光伏鹰) is a series of UAVs developed by Beijing ZFWT Spatial Technology Co., Ltd. (ZFWT, 北京中飞万通有限公司), some of which has entered service with Chinese law enforcement and military.
ZFWT Solar Eagle A1
Solar Eagle A1 is a miniature UAV of conventional design, powered by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the end of empennage. Constructed of composite material with flexible wings, Solar Eagle A1 can be stored in a six-inch diameter tube. Specification:[1]
- Max speed: 28 m/s
- Cruise speed: 13 m/s
- Stall speed: 9 m/s
- Ceiling: 7.62 km
- Endurance: 1.5 h
- Max wind scale allowed: 3–4
- Deployment time: < 5 min
- Launch: by hand
Solar Eagle A2
Solar Eagle A2 is a micro air vehicle (MAV) powered by a two-blade propeller driven by an electric motor mounted in the nose. Solar Eagle is constructed of carbon fiber and has a flying wing configuration. Specification:[2]
- Weight: 1.3 kg
- Payload: 0.6 kg
- Endurance: 40–60 min
- Launch: by hand
Solar Eagle A3
Solar Eagle A3 is a MAV of modular design for rapid deployment and operated by a 2 people crew. Solar Eagle 3 is in twin-boom configuration and the vertical rudders are joined at the top instead of at the root like most UAVs of twin boom configuration. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor motor installed in the nose of the fuselage. Specification:[3]
- Wingspan: 3 m
- Length: 1.2 m
- Weight: 10 kg
- Payload: 1.1 kg
- Cruise speed: 15–27 m/s
- Cruise altitude: 150 m
- Ceiling: 2.5 km
- Endurance: 1.5–2 h
- Remote control range: 15–25 km
- Max wind speed allowed for operation: 10 m/s
- Deployment time: < 10 min
- Power: electrical
Solar Eagle A4
Solar Eagle A4 is a MAV of conventional layout with V-tail, powered by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine installed at empennage. The electro-optical payload is the entire nose section, instead of padded version like in most UAVs. Specification:[4]
- Weight: 9 kg
- Payload: 1.3 kg
- Endurance: 4 h
- Remote control range: 50–80 km
Solar Eagle A5
Solar Eagle A5 is a quadrotor MAV. Solar Eagle A5 has a unique feature in that its rotors are installed below the arm instead above the arm like most multirotors. Specification:[5]
- Wingspan when folded: 0.25 m
- Wingspan when deployed: 1.02 m
- Height when folded: 0.24 m
- Height when deployed: 0.5 m
- Weight: 2.4 kg
- Ceiling: 1.5 km
- Remote control range: 5 km
- Endurance: 60–80 min
- Max wind scale allowed for operation: 4–5
- Temperature: -22 to 122 °C
Solar Eagle A6
Solar Eagle A6 is a long range MAV resembles a scaledown version of AASI Jetcruzer, except Solar Eagle A6 is powered by a two-blade propeller instead of five-blade propeller on Jetcruzer. Specification:[6]
- Endurance: 10–12 h
- Remote control range: 80–100 km
- Weight: 10 kg
- Payload: 1.3 kg
- Ceiling: 10 km
Solar Eagle C1
Solar Eagle C1 is an UAV of flying wing design. The flying wing is shaped into an isosceles trapezoid with downward pointing winglets. Propulsion is provided by two-blade propeller driven by a tractor engine mounted in the nose. Specification:[7]
- Remote control range: 50 km
- Speed: 130–200 km/h
- Endurance: 4–6 h depending on types of engines
- Wingspan: 1.62 m
- Weight: 16 kg
- Payload: 3 kg
- Ceiling: 3.6 km
- Engine: internal combustion
- Launch: catapult
- Recovery: parachute
Solar Eagle C2
Solar Eagle C2 is a smaller cousin of Solar Eagle C1 and both share the identical layout. Specification:[8]
- Remote control range: 25 km
- Speed: 65–120 km/h
- Endurance: 1.5 h
- Wingspan: 1.6 m
- Weight: 8 kg
- Payload: 1.2 kg
- Ceiling: 3.6 km
- Engine: internal combustion
- Launch: catapult
- Recovery: parachute
Solar Eagle C3
Solar Eagle C3 is an UAV of twin-boom configuration with inverted v-tail, powered by a propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage, and has a tricycle landing gear system. Specification:[9]
- Wingspan: 3 m
- Length: 2.3 m
- Height: 0.5 m
- Wing area: 1 m2
- Empty weight: 16 kg
- Max takeoff weight: 28 kg
- Payload: 8 kg
- Max speed: 150 km/h
- Cruise speed: 120 km/h
- Ceiling: 6.5 km
- Endurance: > 10 h
- Range: 400 km
- Remote control range: 15–25 km
- Max wind speed allowed for operation: 15 m/s
- Max wind scale allowed for takeoff and landing: 5
- Deployment time: < 10 min
- g overload: 4.4 g
- Normal operating radius: 250 km
Solar Eagle C4
Solar Eagle C4 is the larger cousin of Solar Eagle C3 with similar twin-boom configuration powered by a propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage, and it has a tricycle landing gear system. Specification:[10]
- Weight: 120 kg
- Payload: 20 kg
- Length: 3.4 m
- Endurance: 3–4 h
- Speed: 30–50 m/s
- Remote control radius: 30–50 km
- Ceiling: 3 km
- Max wind scale allowed for operation: 5
- Temperature: -30 to 50 °C
- Engine: CYS-350F
Solar Eagle C5
Solar Eagle C5 is an octocopter. At first glance, Solar Eagle C5 might be easily mistaken as a quadcopter because there are only four arms, but a closer look reveals that at the tip of each arm, there are two rotors installed, one above the arm and the other below, bringing the total rotors to eight. Specification:[11]
- Length: 0.7 m
- Wingspan: 0.87 m
- Area covered as rotor turning: 1 m2
- Height: 0.32 m
- Endurance: 40 min
- Normal payload: < 1 kg
- Max payload: 1.2 kg
- Max takeoff weight: 2.9 kg
- Speed: 60 km/h
- Ceiling: 3 km
Solar Eagle C6
Solar Eagle C6 is an unmanned helicopter of conventional layout, and it is electrically powered. Specification:[12]
- Max takeoff weight: 100 kg
- Max payload: 20 kg
- Main rotor diameter: 3.2 m
- Tail rotor diameter: 0.55 m
- Length: 3.6 m
- Endurance: 1.2 h
- Speed: 120 km/h
- Remote control radius: 30 km
- Ceiling: 3 km
- Temperature: -30 to 50 °C
- Max wind scale allowed for operation: 5
See also
List of unmanned aerial vehicles of the People's Republic of China
References
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