Engineering news
The companies hope Williams’ lightweight composites and battery expertise will be useful in Airbus’ Zephyr High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite programme.
The project is building unmanned vehicles designed to fly at more than 65,000ft (20km), far above commercial traffic. Powered by the sun, the drones could fly for months at a time without landing, making them suitable for surveillance and communications applications. Airbus is building the first production examples in Farnborough for the Ministry of Defence, although the precise purposes it will use them for have not been disclosed.
Williams Advanced Engineering works closely with the Formula 1 team, and is also the sole supplier of batteries to the FIA Formula E electronic racing championship. As a company closely involved with motorsport, it also develops lightweight new materials and structures which could be useful for Airbus.
“Our engineering teams are thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from the Formula 1 world and just as enthusiastic about sharing much of what we have learned in developing solutions to high-altitude, solar-powered flight,” said Jana Rosenmann, head of unmanned aerial systems at Airbus.
In 2010, a Zephyr prototype set the world record for the longest unmanned flight, staying in the air for 336 hours, or 14 days. The later generation Zephyr S has a wingspan of 25 metres, is 30% lighter and carries 50% more batteries than its predecessor.
The government recently announced a £3.6m grant for the development of new aerostructures, batteries and propulsion to “expand the operational capabilities” of Zephyr drones. Other partners include Axillium Research, Formtech Composites, Productiv, OXIS Energy, Newcastle University and Cranfield University.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.