The Weekly Debrief: Zephyr Loss Proves Stratospheric Flights Remain Challenge

Tony Osborne August 22, 2022
Zephyr aircraft
The latest Zephyr loss came during demonstrations for the U.S. Army. The 64-day flight included a crossing of the Gulf of Mexico and operations over Belize before a return to airspace over Arizona.
Credit: Airbus Defense and Space
You can imagine the frustration of Airbus’ engineers. Just hours before the company’s Zephyr high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) looked set to break a 60-year-old flight-duration record, the solar-powered uncrewed aircraft system was lost. The Zephyr had been in the air for 64 days when it...
Tony Osborne

Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines.

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The Weekly Debrief: Zephyr Loss Proves Stratospheric Flights Remain Challenge is published in Advanced Air Mobility Report, an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) Market Briefing and is included with your AWIN Premium membership.

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