Ministers eye up superdrone spy in the sky
DEFENCE chiefs are considering a deal to buy a solar-powered drone capable of flying on the edge of space for up to three months.
The 90ft-wide Zephyr 8 can fly at altitudes of up 70,000ft, providing surveillance and communication relays at only a fraction of the cost of satellites.
The lightweight drone can generate enough energy during daylight hours to maintain its height at night, and carries an array of sophisticated cameras and radio interception kits.
The Zephyr Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is likely to figure in the Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), which is due to be published later this year.
This policy review will dictate the capabilities and priorities for Britain’s Armed Forces for the next five years. As the defence budget is being cut by £500million this year, the economies offered by the Zephyr 8 are particularly appealing, according to defence experts.
A spokesman from the Royal United Services Institute think-tank said: ‘The need for surveillance and intelligence gathering on the battlefield is exploding at the present moment – and Zephyr is potentially a very valuable asset because it can provide persistent coverage.’
The Ministry of Defence is also understood to have conducted test flights of a smaller version of the drone acquired from the manufacturers, Airbus.
Minister for defence procurement Philip Dunne said: ‘As you go closer to space there are innovative opportunities that are being considered as part of SDSR – ranging from things that are not yet into production to the things that are.’