Hyperdrive
Airbus Spy Drone Stretches Flight-Endurance Record to 25 Days
A Zephyr drone during the 2018 Farnborough Air show.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Floating almost motionless at an altitude of 70,000 feet, Airbus SE’s Zephyr spy drone has extended the record for the longest flight within the Earth’s atmosphere to 25 days, two-thirds more than the previous best.
The first production version of the solar-powered pseudo-satellite spent more than three weeks in the stratosphere on its maiden trip after taking off from Arizona on July 11, Airbus revealed Wednesday after the craft landed safely.