New Spy in the Sky: Big Pics
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By Irene Klotz
July 14, 2010 -- Boeing this week unveiled a prototype for a new hydrogen-fueled unmanned aerial vehicle called Phantom Eye, which is designed to fly at extremely high altitudes for up to four days at a time.
Powered by two 2.3-liter, four-cylinder engines, Phantom Eye breaks new ground in fuel efficiency and flight duration, Darryl Davis, vice president of Boeing’s Phantom Works advanced concepts group, said at the aircraft’s unveiling in St. Louis on Monday.
Four Phantom Eye aircraft could provide 24/7 coverage of any area, he noted.
First though, Phantom Eye has to prove its stuff. Ground tests are scheduled to begin this summer at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif. The first flight, expected to last about eight hours, is targeted for early 2011.
Ultimately, Phantom Eye will be expected to fly at around 65,000 feet -- about twice the altitude of commercial jetliners -- for 96 hours at a stretch. Burning hydrogen, rather than jet fuel, is largely responsible for Phantom Eye's endurance.
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The prototype, which can carry about 450 pounds of payload and cruise at about 150 knots, is a 60 percent- to 70 percent scale design of an operational system. It’s a one-of-a-kind at this point, says Phantom Works spokeswoman Deborah VanNierop.
The current endurance record for a high-altitude UAV is held by the U.S. Air Force Global Hawk, made by Northrop Grumman. The longest Global Hawk flight lasted just over 24 hours.
Image credits: Boeing
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