DARPA wants to sponsor aircraft that will fly five years non-stop

DARPA will award a contract soon sponsoring a project that will build an unmanned aircraft that is capable of flying for five years non-stop. It will be subsequently used for surveillance, reconnaissance and communication missions.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for subsequent use in the military. They fund the development of new technologies from rising entrepreneurs and scientists; if the projects are later approved by the defense then the project builders can produce them for the military including NASA.

One of their projects is called “Vulture program” which will be an unmanned aircraft that can stay in flight for five years non-stop. They describe this Vulture program as a “persistent pseudo-satellite capability in an aircraft package”. The video shows the flight animation of a possible Vulture aircraft.

DARPA Vulture program manager Daniel Newman told Flight Global magazine:

Aviation has a perfect record--we've never left one up there. We will attempt to break that record…DARPA We want to completely change the paradigm of how we think of aircraft."

The unmanned aircraft will help the intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communication missions.

One of the main requirements of the project is the company that builds this aircraft can’t use a radioactive source to power the aircraft or they can’t use a blimp-like vessel. They probably will end up using either fuel cells or solar cells. The aircraft should carry a minimum payload of 1,000 pounds and able to maintain sufficient speed to withstand high winds at 60,000 to 90,000 feet.

It will be like a satellite but will have plane like capabilities that can alter its path and fly at varying speeds at will.

There are other unmanned surveillance aircrafts but can’t fly for long periods or fly long distances non-stop.

NASA is already working with Ohio Aerospace Institute in making a bird like solar plane that will be doing similar unmanned surveillance missions. Possible uses for this plane are in Earth here as well as for Mars and Moon exploration.