DARPA’s Vulture Program Enters Phase II, demonstrating over one month of continued flight with a near-full-scale flight demonstrator. Photo: DARPA

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected a concept developed by the Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) for the second phase of the Vulture long-endurance unmanned aerial system (UAS) program. The Solar eagle was selected over the Odysseus, a rival proposal submitted by Lockheed Martin and Aurora Flight Science’s. The agency awarded Boeing an $89 million contract for the development and flight demonstration of the Vulture air vehicle, a 400 ft. (122 m) wing span, quad-tail flying wing, designed for operation at very high-altitude of 90,000 – 60,000 ft, and operate continuously, unreplenished, for a period of five years. The Vulture will be able to carry a payload of 1,000 lb (450 kg) operated with 5kw of power. Vulture type platforms have potential in numerous roles: operation as a single platform, as a formation of multiple aircraft or as a constellation providing infrastructure augmentation or recovery.


Flight testing is expected to run through 2014, demonstrating a continuous mission spanning over 32 days. In addition, the agency will continue the definition of an objective system design and military utility in a range of applications. DARPA’s Vulture program is supported by a government team including the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Boeing is leading the program, teamed with Qinetiq that develop the ‘Solar Eagle’, a new airframe developed by QinetiQ, powered by a combination on solar panels and solid oxide fuel cells developed by Versa Power Systems. Boeing is also developing another high altitude UAV – the Phantom Eye, powered by hydrogen engines. Under another program, QinetiQ has developed a smaller solar powered drone – Zephyr UAS, which recently broke the world record for continuous flight.

DARPA considers the Vulture technology to provide services similar to a low-earth-orbit satellite, enabling rapid re-tasking and persistent surveillance capability addressing immediate needs of warfighter. An airborne, aircraft like platform have the inherent advantages of flexibility and mission responsiveness, as well as sensor resolution, reduced transmit/receive power and affordable deployment typical of an endo-atmospheric flight. Other attributes are typical of a satellite – such as low speed, high altitude and extended mission capability providing on-station persistence, zero logistics tail, and emissions, energy independence, minimal fleet size, absence of in-country footprint etc.

The program will help mature several key technologies, considered essential for future platforms of this type, includig solar energy collection, reliable and efficient energy storage and retrieval, aircraft reliability and mission assurance, and aeroelastics and flight control of a very large, flexible, lightly-loaded aircraft structure.

Related posts:

• Future High Altitude Drones to Remain on Station for Months, Years

The solar powered drone mission continues to circle above the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, as part demonstrating the solar powered drone's capability to fly a two week mission. Photo: QinetiQ

Zephyr, the solar-powered, high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned vehicle developed by QinetiQ has been flying for the past week, smashing a number of long-standing world records.

The solar powered drone mission continues above the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, as part demonstrating the solar powered drone’s capability to fly a two week mission. “By being able to remain over a location for weeks or months at a time, it can usefully deliver a host of practical and more affordable solutions to both civil and military customers” said Jon Saltmarsh, Zephyr Program Director at QinetiQ.

A Larger Zephyr

The current goal is to fly for a further week and prove Zephyr is the world’s first truly eternal plane, capable of providing a low-cost, persistent surveillance capability over months rather than days. Potential applications include earth observation and communications relay in support of a range of defense, security and commercial requirements.

Unlike conventional manned or unmanned aircraft now being operated, Zephyr does not need to return to base at regular intervals for re-fuelling or servicing which also helps minimize the logistical supply chain and extend its operational capability.

Around 50% larger than the previous Zephyr, technical changes now mean it has a 22.5m wingspan to accommodate more batteries that are combined with a totally new integrated power management system. The entirely new aerodynamic shape and high “T” tail also contribute to reduce drag and improve performance. The payload capacity will meet a number of key surveillance and communication requirements already demonstrated by Zephyr over the past three years. Zephyr’s ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre design also means it weighs in at just over 50Kg.

“The current Zephyr aircraft is a genuine breakthrough design, drawing on the latest technology and represents a massive leap forward in engineering excellence incorporating an entirely new wing design.” Saltmarsh explained. Launched by hand, the aircraft flies by day on solar power delivered by amorphous silicon solar arrays no thicker than sheets of paper that cover the aircraft’s wings. These are also used to recharge the lithium-sulphur batteries, supplied by Sion Power Inc, which are used to power the aircraft by night. Together they provide an extremely high power to weight ratio on a continuous day/night cycle, thereby delivering persistent on-station capabilities.

Claiming the World Endurance Record for UAVs

On July 23, 2010 Zephyr successfully landed after 14 days (336 hours) and 21 minutes flying over Arizona.  and is now awaiting official confirmation of its world record status. Following the flight, QinetiQ is claiming three world records for the Zephyr:

• the absolute duration record for an Unmanned Air Vehicle – being filed at 336 hrs / 22 minutes
• the duration record for a UAV (in the U/1.c / 50-500Kg category) – time as above
• the absolute altitude record for a UAV (in the above category) – being filed at 70,740ft (21,561m)

This record far exceeds the unofficial world record for longest duration unmanned flight of 82 hours, 37 minutes set in 2008 and already held by Zephyr, and is well in excess of the current official world record of 30 hours 24 minutes set by Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001. Upon landing, plans to claim the world record for HALE UAV flight endurance. The company invited the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world air sports federation, to oversee the flight and an FAI Official has been monitoring progress at the Yuma Proving Ground.

QinetiQ was awarded $45 million by the U.S. Navy for the delivery of seven Zephyrs, QinetiQ will produce the Zephyrs at Farnborough, in the United Kingdom. The seven aircraft are expected to be delivered win 2014.

Zephyr prepared for its two-week mission, in July 2010, when the HALE drone has broke the world record for endurance flight of an unmanned aircraft. Photo: QinetiQ

07/23/2010 Update: QinetiQ to land its Zephyr solar powered aircraft

QinetiQ will today bring Zephyr, its solar powered high-altitude long endurance (HALE) Unmanned Air System (UAS) back to earth after two weeks in the air, smashing a number of long-standing official and unofficial world records.

Zephyr was launched on 09 July and is currently still flying above the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. Today Zephyr will have been aloft for 14 nights continuously, achieving the objective of the trial and setting a number of performance and altitude records. At this point QinetiQ’s Zephyr team in Yuma will bring the aircraft back to earth.

To Read The Full Press Release from QinetiQ

The solar powered drone mission continues to circle above the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, as part demonstrating the solar powered drone's capability to fly a two week mission. Photo: QinetiQ

Zephyr, the solar-powered, high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned vehicle developed by QinetiQ has been flying for the past week, smashing a number of long-standing world records.

The solar powered drone mission continues above the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, as part demonstrating the solar powered drone’s capability to fly a two week mission. “By being able to remain over a location for weeks or months at a time, it can usefully deliver a host of practical and more affordable solutions to both civil and military customers” said Jon Saltmarsh, Zephyr Program Director at QinetiQ.

A Larger Zephyr

The current goal is to fly for a further week and prove Zephyr is the world’s first truly eternal plane, capable of providing a low-cost, persistent surveillance capability over months rather than days. Potential applications include earth observation and communications relay in support of a range of defense, security and commercial requirements.

Unlike conventional manned or unmanned aircraft now being operated, Zephyr does not need to return to base at regular intervals for re-fuelling or servicing which also helps minimize the logistical supply chain and extend its operational capability.

Around 50% larger than the previous Zephyr, technical changes now mean it has a 22.5m wingspan to accommodate more batteries that are combined with a totally new integrated power management system. The entirely new aerodynamic shape and high “T” tail also contribute to reduce drag and improve performance. The payload capacity will meet a number of key surveillance and communication requirements already demonstrated by Zephyr over the past three years. Zephyr’s ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre design also means it weighs in at just over 50Kg.

“The current Zephyr aircraft is a genuine breakthrough design, drawing on the latest technology and represents a massive leap forward in engineering excellence incorporating an entirely new wing design.” Saltmarsh explained. Launched by hand, the aircraft flies by day on solar power delivered by amorphous silicon solar arrays no thicker than sheets of paper that cover the aircraft’s wings. These are also used to recharge the lithium-sulphur batteries, supplied by Sion Power Inc, which are used to power the aircraft by night. Together they provide an extremely high power to weight ratio on a continuous day/night cycle, thereby delivering persistent on-station capabilities.

Claiming the World Endurance Record for UAVs

On July 23, 2010 Zephyr successfully landed after 14 days (336 hours) and 21 minutes flying over Arizona.  and is now awaiting official confirmation of its world record status. Following the flight, QinetiQ is claiming three world records for the Zephyr:

• the absolute duration record for an Unmanned Air Vehicle – being filed at 336 hrs / 22 minutes
• the duration record for a UAV (in the U/1.c / 50-500Kg category) – time as above
• the absolute altitude record for a UAV (in the above category) – being filed at 70,740ft (21,561m)

This record far exceeds the unofficial world record for longest duration unmanned flight of 82 hours, 37 minutes set in 2008 and already held by Zephyr, and is well in excess of the current official world record of 30 hours 24 minutes set by Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001. Upon landing, plans to claim the world record for HALE UAV flight endurance. The company invited the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world air sports federation, to oversee the flight and an FAI Official has been monitoring progress at the Yuma Proving Ground.

QinetiQ was awarded $45 million by the U.S. Navy for the delivery of seven Zephyrs, QinetiQ will produce the Zephyrs at Farnborough, in the United Kingdom. The seven aircraft are expected to be delivered win 2014.

With the Phantom Eye's 150 foot wing span and two hydrogen-propelled engines, Phantom Eye will be able to carry a 450 lp payload on missions spanning over several days, at an altitude of 65,000 ft. Photo: Boeing

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today unveiled the hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system, a demonstrator that will stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days. Later this summer, Phantom Eye will be shipped to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to begin a series of ground and taxi tests in preparation for its first flight in early 2011. That debut flight is expected to last between four and eight hours.

With a 150-foot wingspan, Phantom Eye will cruise at approximately 150 knots and can carry up to a 450-pound payload. It is powered by two 2.3-liter, four-cylinder hydrogen fuelled engines that provide 150 horsepower each. “The hydrogen propulsion system will be the key to Phantom Eye’s success” said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, “It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so it’s also a ‘green’ aircraft.”

“Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications,” said today at the unveiling ceremony in St. Louis. Key Phantom Eye suppliers and partners include Ford Motor Company (engines), Aurora Flight Sciences (wing), Mahle Powertrain (propulsion controls), Ball Aerospace (fuel tanks), Turbosolutions Engineering (turbochargers), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA.

More on the Phantom Eye on Defense-Update.com

BAE Systems' ARGUS-IS shown aboard a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter during testing. Photo: BAE Systems via Business Wire

Last week DARPA awarded two contracts funding high-resolution, wide area infra-red persistent surveillance system. The U.S. Air Force awarded BAE Systems about US$50 million to deliver a high resolution sensor for persistent surveillance over a wide area. BAE has been developing such a system under two other programs – DARPA Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance-Imaging System (ARGUS-IS) and Army Airborne Wide Area Persistent Surveillance Sensor (AWAPSS) programs. The current system will be designed to enable a joint forces command in theater to constantly monitor critical areas of interest, using infra-red and video imagers, offering high degree of target location accuracy.

Part of the capabilities of WAMI sensors are to automatically track moving targets over a wide area. These images present two methods of presenting moving targets over surveillance images, showing multiple individual tracks and functional areas determined based on densities of movements. Photos: Kitware Inc.

DARPA is also seeking to improve the processing of the vast volumes of imagery data produced by WAMI sensor systems. Last week the agency has awarded Kitware Inc. a US$13.8 million contract for the development of image analysis support for wide area motion imagery systems. Kitware is developing these new workstations as part of the Persistent Motion Imagery Analysis Tool for Exploitation (PerMIATE) program, assisting analysts in discovering and analyzing high-value intelligence content embedded in massive amount of WAMI data, both online and forensically. Leveraging advanced computer vision, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data visualization in an integrated workstation PerMIATE will reveal and highlight the most critical information in a clear and intuitive presentation, enabling video analyst to quickly validate or refute intelligence leads through deep exploration of the underlying evidence, resulting in substantial reductions in analyst workload as well as increasing the quality and accuracy of intelligence yield. DARPA is developing such analytic tools as part of the Persistent Stare Exploitation and Analysis System (PerSEAS) currently underway.

Northrop Grumman is planning to conduct an aerial refueling demonstration performed by two Global Hawk HALE UAVs, under a DARPA funding. Illustration: Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman, National Air and Space Agency (NASA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are planning to demonstrate aerial refueling of a NASA Global Hawk autonomous aerial vehicles by a sister ship.  The program will be designated KQ-X.

The agency allocated US$33 million for Northrop Grumman, to conduct the autonomous refueling demonstration within the next two years. The demonstration perform the first-ever fully autonomous rendezvous, rejoin, station keeping, aerial refueling, and formation separation of two unmanned aircraft.  The flight will be conducted at altitudes typically flown by the Global Hawk’, hence, overcoming inherent limitations of high altitude flight in thin atmosphere and limited control authority associated with long-endurance aircraft. “The importance of aerial refueling is clear in the way military aviation depends on it today,” said Jim McCormick, the DARPA program manager for KQ-X. ”This demonstration will go a long way towards making those same advantages a reality for the next generation of unmanned aircraft.” A successful outcome will allow developers of future unmanned aircraft to produce more cost-effective systems that rely on aerial refueling for the most demanding missions.

Northrop Grumman will retrofit two of the high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAVs, one aircraft pumping fuel into the other in flight through a hose-and-drogue refueling system. The aerial refueling engagement will be completely autonomous. Engineering work will be accomplished at the Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Development Center in Rancho Bernardo, California. Pilots from NASA, NOAA, and Northrop Grumman will fly the Global Hawks from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, also in California. Sargent Fletcher, Inc. and Sierra Nevada Corporation are major KQ-X subcontractors.

Northrop Grumman is planning to conduct an aerial refueling demonstration performed by two Global Hawk HALE UAVs, under a DARPA funding. Illustration: Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman, National Air and Space Agency (NASA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are planning to demonstrate aerial refueling of a NASA Global Hawk autonomous aerial vehicles by a sister ship.  The program will be designated KQ-X.

The agency allocated US$33 million for Northrop Grumman, to conduct the autonomous refueling demonstration within the next two years. The demonstration perform the first-ever fully autonomous rendezvous, rejoin, station keeping, aerial refueling, and formation separation of two unmanned aircraft.  The flight will be conducted at altitudes typically flown by the Global Hawk’, hence, overcoming inherent limitations of high altitude flight in thin atmosphere and limited control authority associated with long-endurance aircraft. “The importance of aerial refueling is clear in the way military aviation depends on it today,” said Jim McCormick, the DARPA program manager for KQ-X. ”This demonstration will go a long way towards making those same advantages a reality for the next generation of unmanned aircraft.” A successful outcome will allow developers of future unmanned aircraft to produce more cost-effective systems that rely on aerial refueling for the most demanding missions.

Northrop Grumman will retrofit two of the high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAVs, one aircraft pumping fuel into the other in flight through a hose-and-drogue refueling system. The aerial refueling engagement will be completely autonomous. Engineering work will be accomplished at the Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Development Center in Rancho Bernardo, California. Pilots from NASA, NOAA, and Northrop Grumman will fly the Global Hawks from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, also in California. Sargent Fletcher, Inc. and Sierra Nevada Corporation are major KQ-X subcontractors.