Airbus unveils first base for its very high altitude UAV
Europe-based global aerospace and defence company Airbus Defence and Space announced in Australia on Monday that it had opened the first operational launch site for its Zephyr “High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite” (Haps) at the Western Australian town of Wyndham. The Zephyr is a very high (stratospheric) altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), powered by solar energy.
“The official opening of the Airbus Wyndham launch site in Western Australia, the world’s first operational Haps site, marks the start of a new era for Zephyr,” highlighted Airbus Unmanned Aerial Systems head (Ms) Jana Rosenmann. “We are proud to see Australia become part of the Zephyr operational network.”
“I am delighted to welcome the Airbus team and their Zephyr project to Western Australia,” enthused Western Australia State Premier Mark McGowan. “This is the culmination of almost a year of hard work by Airbus and my government to bring this exciting and innovative technology to our state. The Zephyr aircraft provides new capabilities to commercial and military customers and will bring an economic boost to the East Kimberley region.”
Wyndham was chosen as the site because it provided mainly unrestricted airspace and dependable weather. “The site is our gateway to the stratosphere and will be the main flight base for Zephyr going forward,” affirmed Rosenmann.
Airbus sees the new launch site as introducing actual operations by the Zephyr S Haps. “Zephyr is the world’s leading, solar electric, stratospheric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,” stated Airbus. “It harnesses the sun’s rays, running exclusively on solar power, above the weather and conventional air traffic; filling a capability gap complimentary to satellites, UAVs and manned aircraft to provide persistent local satellite-like services.”
The Zephyr will serve both civil and military customers. It will be able to provide observation, monitoring and communications capabilities and could potentially transform disaster management by monitoring such occurrences as oil spills or wildfires. In the surveillance role it can provide persistent coverage. In the communications role it can provide connectivity to areas that currently have none.
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