Boeing\u2019s Phantom Eye, hydrogen-powered HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) surveillance aircraft rose from its launch cart at 6:22 a.m. Pacific time on June 1, then climbed to an altitude of 4,080 feet on its 28 minute maiden flight.<\/p>\n
Phantom Eye is meant to be an autonomous craft with four-day mission capabilities.\u00a0 The bulbous front fuselage houses two spherical hydrogen tanks<\/a> that feed the Ford 2.3 liter engines<\/a> on the 150-foot, high-aspect ratio wings.\u00a0 The engines, triple turbocharged at altitude, emit only water vapor, making spying a little cleaner.<\/p>\n Note the web-like spinning of carbon fiber strands making up the fuselage. \u00a0This highly-automated manufacturing process probably emulates that used on the company’s 787 Dreamliner and reflects the high-technology methods we can expect in the future.<\/p>\n