LOS ANGELES — AeroVironment’s Global Observer GO-1 long-endurance unmanned air vehicle has flown for the first time powered by a hydrogen-fueled propulsion system.
The all-composite, 175-ft.-wingspan vehicle climbed to 5,000 ft. above sea level over Edwards AFB, Calif., driven by four propellers and flew for 4 hr. Unlike GO-1’s previous test flights in August and September, in which the propellers were battery-driven, the latest flight marked the first time electrical power was supplied by a liquid hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine. The engine, in turn, drives a generator that powers the propellers, payload and batteries. The flight also marks the beginning of high-altitude, long-endurance flight testing for the demonstration and operational utility phase of the Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program, which is expected to culminate in a week-long flight in the stratosphere.
In regular service, GO-1 is designed to remain airborne for 5-7 days, performing surveillance and communications missions. Using battery power alone, the vehicle also is capable of a 4-hr. flight. Three GO-1s are being built to support the JCTD.
AeroVironment says batteries will continue to power the Global Observer during the flight-test phase, which “will now systematically expand the altitude and duration of test flights to validate the aircraft’s high-altitude, long-endurance performance.”
Tests will include the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Aerial Layer Network Tactical Communications Suite payload, which is designed to provide a persistent, IP-based aerial communications infrastructure that extends communications from a Global Observer aircraft acting as a surrogate satellite at 65,000 ft.
At this altitude, the sensors contained as part of GO-1’s 380-lb. payload can monitor an area up to 600 mi. in diameter. “The joint operational utility of the Global Observer system will also be assessed during this flight test series for future U.S. government, civil, and military uses,” the company adds.
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