U.S. Army Testing a Solar-Powered Drone That Can Fly for Months

The company’s name is AeroVironment, and the vehicle we’re talking about is called Horus A. It’s a version of a drone that was initially developed for civilian use, the Sunglider, and it just got put through its paces with greenlight from the U.S. Army and the FAA.

The Sunglider this thing is based on was first shown back in 2019. Officially described as a “high-altitude pseudo satellite” (HAPS), it was meant to fly at altitudes of 65,600 feet (20 km). From there, a network of such drones would be used to deliver wireless communications to the people beneath, in support of the 5G standard and the Internet of Things. A sort of miniature Starlink, if you will.

In its initial configuration, the Sunglider came in with a wingspan of 256 feet (78 meters), their entire surface covered by solar panels. Thanks to this, the drone would have been capable of staying airborne for months at a time, reaching cruise speeds of 68 mph (110 kph), and capable of serving a radius of 124 miles (200 km).

It’s not exactly clear how far along the development of the Sunglider is, but we do know that its military version, the Horus A, just performed a very impressive test flight.

The upgraded drone, which has 1.5 kW of available power, additional autonomy (undisclosed), and multiple redundant systems, was designed to be able to carry a payload of 150 pounds (68 kg), which in this case translated into a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and a tactical grade mesh network radio.

During the test flight, which took place at an undisclosed time and in an undisclosed location, the drone not only proved it could carry such gear, but was also used to transmit data in real-time, simultaneously operating the two technologies.

The flight was also used to validate the redundant systems that were included in the design, but also the payload interoperability and performance enhancements. The Horus A also proved it can run unaffected by adverse weather conditions, and allow operators to control it by means of a satellite-based radio system.

AeroVironment is working on this drone in a bid to provide the American military with a tool that can be used for communications and network extension, navigation, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

Most importantly, though, the Horus A could enable the deployment of swarms of fighting military drones the likes of the Switchblade 600.

We’re not told when the new technology will be ready for duty, but the company says it is working aggressively to make the Horus A operational.