Arctic-Capable Surveillance Drone Successfuly tested

Arctic-Capable Surveillance Drone Successfuly tested

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A prototype of an Arctic-capable solar-powered drone for monitoring and telecommunications transmissions has successfully performed a 50-hour-long test-flight in Russia. Designers are preparing a three-times-bigger version for tests later this year.

The solar powered SOVA (Owl) drone, a collaborative effort of the Tyber Company and the Advanced Research Foundation (ARF) has a nine-meter wingspan, yet weighs only 12kg.

The SOVA project aims at developing a family of drones for super long-endurance missions, to be operated throughout Russia and even in harsh conditions above the Arctic Circle (66.5°N).

The Advanced Research Foundation (ARF), established in fall 2012, is viewed as Russia’s analogue of the US’s DARPA, conducting some leading defense industry research.

According to RT, the flying wing (fixed-wing with no tail or discernible fuselage) unmanned aircraft is covered with solar panels and driven by three propellers. It has already climbed to a 9km altitude and spent over two days up in the air.

SOVA’s elastic hull can twist, bend and restore the original form. The drone carries accumulators to store energy to continue flight in the dark hours, cameras, altimeter, transmitter, receiver and other sensors enabling operator to monitor and direct its flight.

Flight tests of the second prototype, with a wingspan of 28 meters, is planned for September.

The second prototype is expected to be able to reach altitudes of 20km.

Inexpensive monitoring of the vast uninhabited territories in northerly latitude and providing telecommunication services to constantly growing number of consumers have been mentioned among top priority tasks for SOVA “atmospheric satellites.”

So far communications in the Arctic area have been established using space satellites, but this kind of communication is expensive and not always effective, particularly for real-time monitoring needs. The solar-powered drone can fulfill this role cheaper and more effectively than space satellites, piloted aircrafts or fuel cell UAVs.