{"id":11675,"date":"2017-12-23T00:33:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-23T07:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=11675"},"modified":"2017-12-23T00:33:00","modified_gmt":"2017-12-23T07:33:00","slug":"airbus-williams-team-to-expand-zephyr-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/airbus-williams-team-to-expand-zephyr-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Airbus, Williams Team to Expand Zephyr Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s the HAPS, Guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Airbus and Williams Advanced Engineering, two heavy hitters with the world\u2019s largest commercial airliner and the world\u2019s fastest formula electric cars, are collaborating on making a light, slow airplane stay up indefinitely.\u00a0 Their memorandum of understanding (MOU) seeks to integrate Williams\u2019 demonstrated abilities with \u201cultra-lightweight materials, battery technologies and electrical cell chemistries\u2026 in\u2026 Airbus\u2019 Zephyr High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) program.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Zephyr S, most recent iteration of Airbus’ High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) program<\/p><\/div>\n

Airbus Defense and Space has worked with Sion Power Corporation<\/a> since 2015 to use Sion\u2019s proprietary lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries for use in Airbus\u2019 Zephyr aircraft.\u00a0 The current Zephyr S is the latest iteration of a series of solar-powered, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that will fly at 65,000 feet for months at a time.<\/p>\n

High Over Dubai<\/strong><\/p>\n

Airbus and Sion have expanded the Zephyr S\u2019 performance envelope to accomplish a 336-hour flight in 2010, and a climb to 61,696 ft (18,805 <\/a>meter) over the United Arab Emirates in 2014.\u00a0 Airbus compares the ability of Zephyr to that of a satellite for persistence at high altitudes.\u00a0 Because the Zephyr family operates at 12-mile altitudes, though, its camera resolution can be as fine as 15 centimeters (six inches), enough to give intelligence officers or disaster recovery personnel reasonable assessments of circumstances.<\/p>\n

Applying Different Skill Sets<\/strong><\/p>\n

Williams, already involved with aeronautical pursuits such as the high-speed P1e dual motor, contra-rotating propeller Formula 1 race plane<\/a>, also produces all the battery packs used in Formula E race cars.\u00a0 Williams is developing new structural materials derived from recycled carbon fiber \u2013 claimed to be up to 40-percent lighter while being stronger than current alternatives.<\/p>\n

Jana Rosenmann, Airbus Head of Unmanned Aerial Systems, expressed the respect and enthusiasm her company has for Williams Advanced Engineering\u2019s expertise.\u00a0 \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Twin-tail Zephyr T will be significantly bigger than current model S<\/p><\/div>\n

The amalgamation of Williams\u2019 abilities with Airbus\u2019 project management expertise and increasing use of micro-electronic sensors and cameras could lead to lighter, stronger structures and expanded capabilities for intelligence gathering.\u00a0 That a 25-meter wingspan (82 feet) structure weighing only 62 to 65 kilograms (136.4 to 143 pounds) could be made lighter and still capable of surviving the stresses of flight at altitudes reaching 12 miles will be an enviable achievement.\u00a0 It can carry sophisticated payloads that offer high-definition, NIIRRS (National imagery interpretability rating scales<\/a>) rated imagery, AIS (Automatic Identification System) \u2013 possibly for collision avoidance, narrowband mobile communications systems, and 100 mbps broadcast capabilities.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, the Zephyr T will be even larger, 32 meters (105 feet) and weight only 145 kilograms (319 pounds). \u00a0Available in 2020, Zephyr T will carry payloads capable of providing `NIIRS imagery, RADAR, LIDAR, ESM\/ELINT, and broadcast communications.<\/p>\n

Batteries and Solar Cells<\/strong><\/p>\n

Helping lighten the load, Sion Power\u2019s Licerion batteries and Microlink\u2019s \u201csolar sheet\u201d provide lightweight energy storage and generation for prolonged flights.<\/p>\n

Sion Power claims energy density superior to that of lithium ion cells with its lithium-sulfur packs on the Zephyr series.\u00a0 This allows lighter structural weight in Zephyr\u2019s airframe, good enough for Airbus and Sion to sign a three-year partnership to \u201cadvance Airbus\u2019 HAPS program.<\/p>\n

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Thomas Keupp, Vice President and Head of Portfolio Management at Airbus explained, \u201cCombining Airbus and Sion Power engineering expertise has proven to be a successful platform for our on-going success.”<\/p>\n

Besides being 30-percent lighter and carrying 50 percent more batteries than its predecessor, Zephyr S benefits from an especially lightweight solar \u201csheet\u201d rather than a traditional cell or panel.<\/p>\n

MicroLink Devices<\/a> has developed a lightweight, flexible, high-efficiency solar sheet that suits area and weight constrained applications such as these drones, which run on solar energy.<\/p>\n

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ELO (Epitaxial Lift Off) separates 40-micrometer thin solar cell from substrate, which is reused to lower production costs<\/p><\/div>\n

Microlink lightens the cells by separating them from the substrate on which they are grown.\u00a0 Most solar cells retain the substrate, so this should make Microlink\u2019s cells significantly lighter.\u00a0 The approach reduces the cost of manufacture, as Microlink explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese high-efficiency, single- and multi-junction GaAs-based solar cells are manufactured using MicroLink\u2019s proprietary epitaxial lift-off (ELO) technology, in which the solar cell structure is removed from the substrate on which it is grown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result is a solar cell that is efficient, lightweight, and flexible.\u00a0 The substrate can be reused multiple times, which reduces the cost of the solar cell.\u201d\u00a0 Cells weigh only 250 grams per square meter and are 31-percent efficient, according to Microlink.<\/p>\n

Airbus, Williams and their suppliers seem poised to continue development of a high-atmosphere pseudo satellite able to provide a broad range of services.\u00a0 Economically, these approaches seem to promise highly effective applications at bargain prices compared to true space satellites.<\/p>\n