British stealth plane breaks world record for longest flight
The unmanned Aalto Zephyr, which was built in Farnborough, Hampshire, flew for more than two months from Kenya to Australia, before ditching in the Indian Ocean.
The flight beat a record that has stood for more than 50 years for the longest duration plane flight. It bested a record set in 1959 when American pilots Robert Timm and John Cook flew a Cessna Skyhawk continuously for 64 days and 22 hours in Nevada.
The Zephyr has a wingspan of 85ft, but weighs just 75kg and flies using solar power.
The plane can operate as a spy plane, offering Earth observation and reconnaissance capabilities. It can also provide 4G and 5G communications, acting like a mobile mast in the sky. The aircraft's longest previous mission was a 64-day flight in 2022.
The Zephyr is a high-altitude platform station (or Haps) originally developed by British defence company QinetiQ before the project was sold to French aerospace giant Airbus in 2013. Operations remain based in Britain.
The solar panels on its wings, which are thin as film, allow the plane to fly continuously, recharging its batteries during the day.
It is designed to fly above 60,000ft, delivering communications to remote areas. It can also carry powerful cameras and sensors, meaning the aircraft can act as an eye in the sky for border forces or police operations.
These technologies position the Zephyr to challenge businesses such as Elon Musk's Starlink for providing communications to disaster zones or military operations, or for boosting mobile signals for major events. It could also provide an alternative to spy satellites.
The project has similarities to Facebook's Aquila, a solar plane that was also built in the UK but later mothballed.
Google, meanwhile, attempted to design high-altitude communications balloons through its Loon business, but scrapped the division in 2021. Japan's SoftBank has developed a high-altitude plane called Sunglider that is currently undergoing trials.
Last year, Aalto received $100m (£75m) in funding from Japanese investors and banks, although Airbus remains its majority shareholder. It plans to launch commercial services in Japan next year.
Hughes Boulnois, Aalto's chief executive, said: 'With this new world-record flight, we have pushed the boundaries again for the burgeoning Haps industry and aviation globally with a solar-powered, stratospheric aircraft.'
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