Airbus’ Zephyr drone breaks flight record high above Arizona

The solar-powered Zephyr drone beat its own record for time spent aloft as an uncrewed aircraft system, with 36 days completed so far, and counting, according to US Army Futures Command.

AFC’s Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing/Space Cross-Functional Team launched the aircraft on June 15 and it remains deployed some 70,000 feet over Arizona, Defense News reports.

The pilotless aircraft previously set the longevity record at about 26 days in 2018.

The first stratospheric UAS of its kind, Zephyr can fly continuously for months at a time, far above weather and conventional air traffic. It has a wingspan of just over 82 feet — longer than 2 school buses placed end-to-end but weighs less than 166 pounds.

The test aims to assess the aircraft’s durability and energy storage capacity. Powered by solar energy, the Zephyr is considered a performance heavyweight in ultra-light aircraft. It can be used for surveillance and intelligence gathering, with a wide visual payload coverage of 20 by 30 kilometers. The drone can also be equipped with radar, lidar and infrared technologies to expand its capabilities.