Aviation Startup Skydweller Aero has successfully flown a drone with a larger wingspan than a Boeing 747 for almost three consecutive days – and then did it again. And it did nothing but photons and electrons for the whole time. The declared goal of the company is to eventually reach a “eternal” flight, in which the drone should land alone if it needs maintenance. Skydweller, indeed.
The recent tests were performed by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), the first potential customer of the drone. The Navy is interested in what a Skydweller could bring to its activities in Southern Command (Southcom), which includes Mexico, Latin -America and all nearby waters. Charged with a variety of sensors, a skydweller could sweep for piracy, drug trafficking or other illegal activities.
Of course there are already many drones and other planes that can do that. The party trick from Skydweller is the flight time, which is simply outrageously good. For reference, the RQ-4 Global Hawk Drone, which has a wingspan of 131 feet, can only fly for about 30 hours. The recent tests of the Skydweller came up to 74 hours, per Nola.com. This is mainly due to how the two are refueling: where the Global Hawk has a turbo ban engine that requires good old-fashioned aircraft fuel, the Skydweller is fully electric … and solar energy.
Mid-air refueling with the sun
While the Air Force has gas stations, in the form of the KC-135 and the newer KC-46 aircraft, global hawks and other drones are not equipped to receive fuel from them. There is a logic for that: because drones often work in hostile areas and hope to go unnoticed, there is no jumbo -jet flying to the flying not logical. The Global Hawk must therefore fly back to the base to get his petroleum fix.
The carbon fiber Skydweller, on the other hand, has no gas tank at all, but rather 1400 pound batteries, fully 25% of the maximum capacity weight. But even better what is on those huge wings – 17,000 solar cells, making 100 kW power. During the day that is enough to supply the four pushing, avionica and up to 800 pounds of sensor equipment. It is also enough to charge those batteries, where it then flies at night. Charge the next day in the air, fly another night; Charge the next day in the air, fly another night. That is what these recent tests have shown. Again, the goal is eternal flight, and that opens a whole box with opportunities from Pandora.
The benefits of never countries
The use cases here are quite clear for the army. Do you constantly have to observe an enemy basis? Leave a Skydweller in circles in the area forever. Or is there a place where a terrorist commander will probably appear one day? Just park a skydweller there and let it alert if he ever pops up. Lower -Patrouilles are another good option, just like a kind of back -up GPS options.
But Skydweller Aero makes it clear that it also has commercial ambitions. Sensors can also be used for scientific research, for example. In the meantime, Starlink from SpaceX promises the internet everywhere to everyone, but it also blinds our telescopes and overcrowded low earth – job – it is good for 60% of all satellites! Skydwellers could hang around in distant areas and offer customers with a fast internet without one of those problems. There is a lot of money to be earned in something that never touches the ground.
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