Experimental US drone sets flight record

[Hindustani78]

Last Updated: Thursday, July 16, 2015 - 14:29
Experimental US drone sets flight record | Zee News


Washington: A US experimental drone has set a record for the longest continuous flight of a craft of its size, staying in the air for three days, the International Aeronautical Federation said.


The Orion prototype long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, similar to the well-known Predator and Reaper style drones used by the US military, flew for 80 hours two minutes and 52 seconds, according to the data validated by the federation.

The feat actually took place in December over California, when four pilots took turns flying the craft designed to carry a payload of cameras, weapons or other equipment of more than one ton.

It shattered the previous UAV flight record of 30 hours, belonging to the Global Hawk by Northrop Grumman.

The drone was built as part of an experimental US Air Force program to meet the round-the-clock needs of American intelligence and surveillance.

Its manufacturer, Aurora Flight Sciences, hopes to build a series of the planes for the Air Force.

The overall record for flight duration by a UAV belongs to a small solar powered craft built by Airbus that carried out a 14-day flight in 2010.


AFP

 

[VCheng]

Soon, a system of perpetual air presence all over the globe, or a short flight away, will be a reality.

 

[Oldman1]

Impressive almost 3 times the endurance of the Global Hawk.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Or just implement aerial refueling with Avengers and be done with it.

 

[VCheng]

Or just implement aerial refueling with Avengers and be done with it.

Aerial refueling of certain drones is already operational.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Aerial refueling of certain drones is already operational.

Or fusion powered!
China aims to get hybrid fission-fusion nuclear reactor up and running by 2030

 

[VCheng]

Or fusion powered!
China aims to get hybrid fission-fusion nuclear reactor up and running by 2030

That is an old idea from the fifities, already tried and discarded due to concerns with crashes, the risk for which can be reduced, but never to zero.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

That is an old idea from the fifities, already tried and discarded due to concerns with crashes, the risk for which can be reduced, but never to zero.

It was discarded because crashes would spread highly lethal amounts of radioactivity. I believe you can create a fusion engine with minimal amounts of radioactivity.

 

[VCheng]

It was discarded because crashes would spread highly lethal amounts of radioactivity. I believe you can create a fusion engine with minimal amounts of radioactivity.

That may become possible only if the containment vessel can be made small and light enough to be airborne. Keeping everything together is difficult enough as it is on the ground. Even the term "minimal" radioactivity is relative, since lots of byproducts will remain a problem in case of a breach.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

That may become possible only if the containment vessel can be made small and light enough to be airborne. Keeping everything together is difficult enough as it is on the ground. Even the term "minimal" radioactivity is relative, since lots of byproducts will remain a problem in case of a breach.

 

[VCheng]

Many a thing fantasized in Hollywood does become real, but this will take a few more decades, at least.