Digital Subscription

tool name

close
tool goes here

Boeing's hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye

Boeing revealed this week it has successfully tested a prototype of an unmanned aerial aircraft powered by hydrogen that can linger at high altitude for as long as four days without refueling. The twin-engine unmanned aerial vehicle, called the Phantom Eye, took off from a California desert test site and flew for 28 minutes in its first test.

JOHN GILLIE; staff writer
Published: June 7, 2012 at 6:43 a.m. PDT — Updated: June 7, 2012 at 6:42 a.m. PDT
0 comments
Boeing revealed this week it has successfully tested a prototype of an unmanned aerial aircraft powered by hydrogen that can linger at high altitude for as long as four days without refueling. The twin-engine unmanned aerial vehicle, called the Phantom Eye, took off from a California desert test site and flew for 28 minutes in its first test. The plane suffered a minor problem when its landing gear dug into the dry lake bed where it landed and broke. The prototype plane has wings 150 feet long to allow it to linger above the weather and turbulence at 65,000 feet. By burning hydrogen, it produces little if any emissions. A production version of the aircraft will have wings more than 200 feet long and the capability of lingering for up to 10 days. The test version of the plane, Boeing said, can carry some 450 pounds of cameras and detection equipment aloft. (THE BOEING CO.)

Boeing revealed this week it has successfully tested a prototype of an unmanned aerial aircraft powered by hydrogen that can linger at high altitude for as long as four days without refueling. The twin-engine unmanned aerial vehicle, called the Phantom Eye, took off from a California desert test site and flew for 28 minutes in its first test. The plane suffered a minor problem when its landing gear dug into the dry lake bed where it landed and broke. The prototype plane has wings 150 feet long to allow it to linger above the weather and turbulence at 65,000 feet. By burning hydrogen, it produces little if any emissions. A production version of the aircraft will have wings more than 200 feet long and the capability of lingering for up to 10 days. The test version of the plane, Boeing said, can carry some 450 pounds of cameras and detection equipment aloft.

john.gillie@thenewstribune.com

JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here

We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.

SPORTS
SOUTH SOUND
BLOGS
CONTESTS

Similar stories

  • Boeing Dreamliner battery fire hot enough to melt fuselage, tests show

    A fire that broke out last week in a Boeing 787 Dreamliner could have been hot enough to melt the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic that makes up the plane’s shell, according to the results of tests the Federal Aviation Administration performed last year.

  • Resuming 787 flights up to FAA, Boeing says

    Boeing said Friday that it expects to finish testing its battery fix for the 787 within two weeks. Then it will be up to the Federal Aviation Administration to decide when the planes fly again.

  • Dreamliner fires raise safety concerns among experts

    WASHINGTON — While Boeing maintains that a fire in an electronics compartment of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner last week and another fire on a test flight in 2010 are not related, the plane’s fire-suppression system does not protect the site where both fires occurred.

  • Fires in Boeing Dreamliner electrical compartment raise safety concerns

    While Boeing maintains that a fire in an electronics compartment of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner last week and another fire on a test flight in 2010 are not related, the plane’s fire-suppression system does not protect the site where both fires occurred.

  • Boeing wraps up 787 test flights

    Boeing conducted a second test flight of its 787 on Monday as it looks for the cause of battery problems that have grounded the planes. It said no more tests are currently planned.