The Ministry of Defence has ordered a third record-breaking Zephyr-S Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), as part of a £13M contract with Airbus Defence and Space (ADS).
Zephyr-S is the latest version of a highly sophisticated series of ultra-lightweight UAVs, capable of flying up to 70,000ft – twice the altitude of a commercial airliner – for up to 45 days at a time. Referred to as a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS), it performs more like a satellite than a conventional UAV.
The third Zephyr-S will join the two previously ordered by the MOD in February. Built in Farnborough by ADS, all three will form part of an Operational Concept Demonstrator (OCD) to assess Zephyr’s capabilities and explore its potential for use by the UK Armed Forces and other government departments. The additional Zephyr-S will allow two airframes to be tested simultaneously and demonstrate operational handover to show that the capability could be sustained indefinitely.
The OCD trials, which will be held in 2017, will inform defence’s decisions around how best to provide next-generation battlefield intelligence to the UK Armed Forces.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon MP said: “Zephyr is a cutting-edge, record-breaking piece of kit that will be capable of gathering constant, reliable information over vast geographical areas at a much greater level of detail than ever before.
“They are part of our plan for stronger and better defence, backed by a budget that will rise each year of this decade. That means more ships, more aircraft, more troops available at readiness, better equipment for special forces, more being spent on cyber – to deal with the increased threats to our country.”
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2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) Defence Defence Secretary Michael Fallon MP Ministry of Defence RAF UK Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Zephyr-S
Post written by: Julie Shennan
Features Editor of MOD DCB Magazine and MOD DSS Yearbook. Content Marketing Executive at BiP Solutions (Defence Online's sister company). Editor and founder of Artsnfaffs Online Magazine.
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