Liquid-hydrogen powered Phantom Eye UAS finishes taxi tests
NewsFebruary 11, 2013
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE. The Phantom Eye liquid hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft system (UAS) from Boeing finished taxi testing at getting ready for its second flight. During the taxi testing the UAS demonstrator aircraft sat atop its launch cart and reached speeds as fast as 40 knots, or about 46 miles per hour.
The Phantom Eye engineering team also completed the software and hardware upgrades necessary for higher altitude flight.
The Phantom Eye team also improved the UAS's landing system after Phantom Eye's first flight, when the landing gear dug into the Edwards lakebed and broke.
"We've drawn on Boeing’s experience to come up with a solution, using our tactical fighter aircraft landing systems as an example," says Brad Shaw, Boeing Phantom Eye chief engineer.
Phantom Eye's liquid-hydrogen propulsion system will enable the aircraft to stay on station for as long as four days while enabling persistent monitoring over large areas at a ceiling of as high as 65,000 feet, with only water as a byproduct. The demonstrator can carrying a 450-pound payload and has a 150-foot wingspan.
