Leonardo Invests in Startup to Build World's First Solar Powered Drone

Aerospace and Defense Review | Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Solar Impulse 2 was one of a kind solar-powered plane that was used between 2015 - 2016. The particular plane was well known for correcting the belief that solar-powered machines had limited capabilities. Solar Impulse 2 was also the poster child for clean energy tech

FREMONT, CA: Leonardo has invested in the world's first solar-powered drone, which will be capable of delivering large payloads over long distances. Leonardo invested in Skydweller Aero Inc., a startup specializing in new generation unmanned aircraft. The Skydweller Drone is expected to be in active service by 2021. The drone's endurance and payload allow it to fill critical gaps in many countries’ integrated surveillance architecture. It also enables improved situational awareness for military forces and more cost-effective utilization of resources than with traditional systems.

"As the key technological investor and partner of the project, Leonardo will broaden its capabilities in new power systems, autonomous flight, innovative aerostructures, ultra-light materials and eco-friendly technologies to improve the company's competitive advantage in the aerospace business for the next 20 years ", said Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo. The company's new venture is a step forward in accelerating the progress of technology and innovation in autonomous flight. The resultant Skydweller Drone will be the world's first fully-electric unmanned aircraft capable of carrying large payloads with unlimited range and ultra persistent endurance.

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The Skydweller Drone will be built over the body of an existing aircraft, Solar Impulse 2. The Solar Impulse 2 was one of a kind solar-powered plane that was used between 2015 - 2016. The particular plane was well known for correcting the belief that solar-powered machines had limited capabilities. Solar Impulse 2 was also the poster child for clean energy tech. The aircraft was designed by UAV experts from Northrop Grumman’s Special Projects organization and backed by European aerospace giant Leonardo and a group of private investors.

Combining unlimited persistence and range, the drone will be operated from existing airbases around the world. The drone can be deployed over thousands of miles to areas of high need, and remain overhead for orders of magnitude longer than current aircraft. This new platform will be used for a variety of purposes ranging from land and maritime surveillance to monitoring the environment and infrastructure, from industrial geo-information services to telecommunications and precision navigation. The drone can also be deployed during emergency response and disaster recovery situations. They can be used from distant locations to provide the necessary backup communications or even provide direct support to first responders.

The Skydweller project is being built on an already tested aircraft that circumnavigated the world in 2016. The first phase of the project is focused on converting the manned aircraft platform into an unmanned one. The aircraft can be converted into an Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) by integrating advanced autonomy algorithms and vehicle management systems. The second stage of the project shall culminate in the first production aircraft, designed specifically for unmanned operations and toughened out by a range of environmental conditions. If everything moves according to plan, then the plane should be rendered by 2020 and the first flight in 2021.

Leonardo, an industry leading high-tech aerospace, Defense, and security company was selected as one of the "20  Most Promising Cyber Security Solution Providers-2017" by the CIO Review magazine as a recognition of it's the tailor-made and efficient cyber security solutions.

Check out: Top Solar Energy Technology Companies

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