Following on from a successful maiden flight under battery power in 2010, AeroVironment’s high altitude, long endurance (HALE) Global Observer unmanned aircraft has now taken to the skies using hydrogen-fueled propulsion.
The aircraft reached an altitude of 5,000 feet during the four hour flight on January 11 at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) in California. Both the endurance and the altitude of the system will be expanded in further test flights in order to achieve the planned operational altitude of 55,000 to 65,000 feet.
The aim of the Global Observer program is to provide a constant remote imaging, surveillance and communications platform that is far more cost-effective than conventional satellites while covering a greater area than low-flying aircraft – its coverage area is around 600 miles in diameter.
In addition to flying at stratospheric altitudes, the aircraft will be able to remain aloft for up to a week – working in tandem, two Global Observer’s “would provide persistent satellite-like coverage over any location on the globe” at 20 percent of the cost of existing solutions according to AeroVironment.
