US Navy wants a drone that can fly 90 days in a row

Drones are taking an increasingly important part in military operations. Recently, you were told that Israel was the first country to use swarms of autonomous drones in the theater of military operations. Of course, the United States is no slouch in this area.

If DARPA has already thought about anti-drone technology, the US Navy is currently looking for a way to be able to conduct long-term military patrols. While the US Navy drones can currently only stay in flight for about 30 hours, the US Navy wants to develop a drone capable of staying 90 days in flight.

Credit: Skydweller Aero

The drone will be covered with 885 square meters of photovoltaic cells

To make this project a reality, the US Navy collaborated with the American-Spanish aerospace company Skydweller Aero. The new device, called Skydweller, is inspired by the Solar Impulse 2, a crewed solar aircraft that toured the world in 2015 and 2016. Because yes, the drone will also be powered by solar energy, at least. most of the time.

The US Navy Skydweller will have a wingspan of 72 meters. It will also have 885 square meters of photovoltaic cells that can generate up to 2 kilowatts of power. It will also be able to carry 360 kg of maritime reconnaissance and surveillance instruments.

A substantial saving for the US government

Based on information fromAviation Today, this drone will be able to fly at a maximum speed of 185 km / h and at a maximum altitude of 14,000 meters. But the company still plans to equip the Skydweller with hydrogen fuel cells so that the device can be powered even in bad weather.

Skydweller Aero co-founder John Parkes said the drone will save the U.S. government huge amounts of money on the total cost of most national security missions.