Boeing SolarEagle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Boeing SolarEagle (Vulture II) was a proposed High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle solar-electric spy plane developed by Boeing Phantom Works.[1]
| SolarEagle | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | High Altitude, Long Endurance Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Status | Cancelled |
The proposed aircraft had a wingspan of 393.7 feet (120.0 meters), and was intended to remain airborne for up to five years at a time without needing to land.[2] It had 20 motors of the same type as the Qinetiq Zephyr designed by Newcastle University. Boeing was awarded an $89 million contract by DARPA's Vulture program,[3] with Boeing covering the remainder.[4] It was slated to make its first flight in 2014, but in 2012 the SolarEagle project was cancelled[5] and DARPA's Vulture program was refocused on advancing photovoltaic and energy storage technologies.[6][7]
