Airbus Poised to Get First Deal for Zephyr Spy Drones From U.K.
- UAVs are cheaper than satellites and quicker to deploy
- Craft will stay airborne for weeks at height of 65,000 feet
An Airbus Zephyr 7 in flight.
Source: AirbusThis article is for subscribers only.
Airbus Group SE is poised to win its first contract for the Zephyr high-altitude spy drone as Britain prepares to buy two of the aircraft to sharpen its battlefield intelligence gathering.
The so-called unmanned aerial vehicles “will be able to fly higher and for longer to gather constant, reliable information over vast geographic areas,” U.K. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in London late Tuesday at an industry briefing. The two Zephyrs will be built in the U.K., according to the Ministry of Defence, which confirmed that a contract is imminent.