A collaboration involving BAE Systems has delivered two full-scale unmanned aircraft in just 15 months which are now being tested at its Warton plant in preparation for flight trials.
And the defence giant has now reached an agreement to acquire collaboration partner Prismatic as the two companies work to further develop the Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) technology. BAE Systems says that technology has “the potential to transform the air and space market”.
The UAV uses long-life battery technology and ultra-lightweight solar cells to potentially maintain flight at 65,000 feet for up to a year.
Since an initial collaboration between the two companies was announced in May last year, engineers have been working at pace to develop two 35-metre solar-powered UAV prototypes, various sensor payloads and operational concepts.
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