One of the biggest drones ever built will not kill you. In fact, the manufacturers of the Phantom Eye are thinking about the massive, hydrogen-powered flying robot as a communications relay station.
The Phantom Eye is a beast: wingspans of 45 metres; a gross takeoff weight of 4.5 tonnes; room for up to a 200kg payload; two four-cylinder engines each providing about 150 horsepower. It runs on liquid hydrogen, not only making it greener than the rest of the US military's drone fleet, but, Boeing believes, three times more energy-efficient. Most drones are lucky if they can stay aloft for a day at a stretch. The Phantom Eye aims to stay in the air for up to five days, and about three times higher -- at 18 kilometres.
By: Spencer Ackerman, Edited by: Kadhim Shubber
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via Wired.co.uk
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-04/9/phantom-eye-2
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