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World’s First Hydrogen UAV
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The Global Observer will provide seamless communication relay and remote sensing systems at breakthrough affordability. In an area such as Baghdad, the Global Observer would be able to establish persistent loitering capability to enable a hi-speed communications network over a wide area The Global Observer will be able to operate at 65,000 feet for over a week with a payload of up to 1,000 pounds Paul MacCready - the father of Human-powered flight and so much more
Examples of Global Observer Applications Examples of Global Observer Applications The Gossamer Albatross pictured at NASA's Dryden facility - 1980. Image courtsey - NASA The Gossamer Penguin solar-powered aircraft at Dryden, July 1979 Image courtsey - NASA
The prototype AeroVironment Helios Solar-Electric high altitude flying wing is trailed by its control van over Rogers Dry Lake near Dryden facility - September 1999 Image courtsey - NASA Ground crewmen manouevre the Helios flying wing on its ground-support dolly preparing for its first flights under solar power Image courtsey - NASA The Pathfinder AeroVironment Skytower during testing in 2002 Image courtsey - NASA Image 12 of 14 from World’s First Hydrogen UAV
Daedalus - the Human powered Aircraft pictured at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Centre - 1987 Image courtsey - NASA Image 14 of 14 from World’s First Hydrogen UAV
Article Summary
July 4, 2005 AeroVironment (AV) has successfully completed the world’s first liquid hydrogen powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight tests. In doing so, the fifty-foot wingspan prototype Global Observer aircraft accomplished a major milestone in AV’s unmanned High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) development and continued the life work of one of the greatest inventors the world has ever known – Paul MacCready. MacCready founded AeroVironment after achieving the world’s first human powered flight and the world’s first solar powered flight more than a quarter of a century ago. The prototype flight was the last major milestone in the company’s HALE UAV technology development and demonstrates the practicality and operational robustness of the Global Observer system. AV’s Global Observer HALE platform will be able to operate at 65,000 feet altitude for a week at a time with a payload of up to 1,000 pounds. Using only two aircraft in rotation, this will provide seamless communication relay and remote sensing systems at breakthrough affordability. Some of the applications for the new system include persistent, global, near-space loitering capability for defence, low-cost, rapidly-deployable telecommunications infrastructure, hurricane/storm tracking, weather monitoring, environmental monitoring, agriculture optimisation and aerial imaging/mapping capabilities.

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