Solar-powered HALE/HAPS unmanned aircraft. In July 2010 the Zephyr 7 set a then-record continuous flight of 336 h 21 min (14 days) at up to ~21,560 m over Yuma. Lightweight with solar cells charging batteries for night flight.
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Subcategory | Fixed-wing |
| Subtype | Solar HALE / HAPS UAV |
| Role | persistent ISR / comms relay |
| Class | HALE |
| Classification | HALE / HAPS (pseudo-satellite) |
| Mission | persistent ISR, communications relay, surveillance |
| Datalink | satellite / BLOS |
| Variants | Zephyr 6, Zephyr 7 |
| MTOW (kg) | 55 |
| Operators | UK (developmental/QinetiQ) |
| Frame type | Fixed-wing |
| Propulsion | solar-electric (battery for night) |
| Wingspan (m) | 22.5 |
| Combat-proven | No |
| Launch method | hand-launch (crew) |
| Autonomy level | autonomous |
| Endurance (min) | 20181 |
| Recovery method | belly/skid landing |
| Year introduced | 2010 |
| Max payload (kg) | 5 |
| Standard sensors | EO/comms payload |
| Production status | superseded by Zephyr S/8 |
| Notable engagements | 2010 14-day endurance world record |
| Service ceiling (m) | 21560 |