Boeing Completes Phantom Eye Drone Test Flight
Boeing‘s high-altitude long endurance drone for the U.S. Air Force has completed its second flight demonstration, according to a Defense News article.
The Boeing phantom eye achieved a “picture-perfect landing” after the company completed upgrades from the results of its first test flight in June 2012.
The aircraft flew from NASA‘s Dryden Flight Research at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
During the test, the Phantom Eye flew for 66 minutes with an altitude of 8,000 feet.
The drone is designed to fly for up to four days at 65,000 feet and carry a 450-pound payload.
It is propelled by two engines adapted from those in Ford Ranger pickup trucks which run on liquid hydrogen and oxygen.
Boeing hopes to build a larger version with a wingspan of 250 feet and a 2,000-pound payload capacity.