Solar Powered Drone Can Maintain Months of Flight Time
Horus was one of the most important ancient Egyptian deities. He was best known as being worshipped as the god of the sun, sky, and protection. The earliest records of Horus date back to around 3100 BC. In nearly all depictions of Horus, he is represented as some form of a bird of prey, like a falcon. This god, who ruled the skies, harnessed the power of the sun, and protected the people of Egypt, serves as the perfect inspiration behind AeroVironment’s latest drone, a sunglider aptly named Horus A.
Founded in 1971 by legendary American aeronautical engineer Paul Beattie MacCready Jr., AeroVironment has a long history of developing solar-powered vehicles. MacCready achieved the first-ever manned solar flight on May 18, 1979, with the experimental Gossamer Penguin. In 1981, MacCready completed a 163-mile flight from France to England with the manned Solar Challenger. Shortly after this, MacCready’s AeroVironment began its relationship with the United States government when it was commissioned to build High Altitude Solar (HALSOL), the first-ever unmanned solar aircraft.
In 1994, AeroVironment partnered with NASA to redesign HALSOL, leading to a revolutionary solar drone for long endurance, high-altitude missions. The drone was named the Pathfinder because, as NASA stated, it was “literally the pathfinder for a future fleet of solar-powered aircraft that could stay airborne for weeks or months on scientific sampling and imaging missions.” AeroVironment’s contracts with various United States governmental agencies have remained strong over the years, as the company has continued to lead the development of actionable drone technology. While the company has become best known in recent years for their traditionally battery-powered Switchblade drones, the reveal of the Horus A shows that they are committed to re-exploring solar power sources.
The Horus A is a project commissioned by the United States Department of Defense (U.S. DoD). The body of the drone is very similar to AeroVironment’s previous sungliders, like the Pathfinder. However, the company points out that this latest drone features advancements across all design aspects. This includes a sturdier airframe and avionics system. The drone also features multiple redundancy protocols for mission safety, along with artificial intelligence autonomy capabilities. The drone can carry an additional payload of up to 150 lbs, allowing it to support an array of sensors. But what truly makes the Horus A drone unique is its flight time.
The solar panels along the drone’s upward-curved airframe can harness enough energy from the sun to position the drone as an applicable long-endurance unmanned aircraft. The Horus A provides 1.5 kW of accessible power to eight electric motors. This gives the drone enough energy to maintain flight for months at a time. This factor positions the Horus A to perfectly align with the U.S. DoD’s High-Altitude Platform-Station (HAPS) program to enable long-distance surveillance and communication operations.
On October 1, 2024, AeroVironment announced that the drone had completed its first trial flight out of Arlington, VA. “During this recent Horus A flight, we demonstrated the ability to carry multiple payloads for the U.S. DoD and transmit real-time data, advancing the viability of HAPS for government applications,” said Jeff Rodrian, AeroVironment’s Senior Vice President and the General Manager of MacCready Works. “This flight marks another milestone in our stratospheric platform’s progress. It underscores AV’s leadership in developing solar-powered, high-altitude systems with significant potential for commercial and government applications.”
During the trial, AeroVironment also had the opportunity to test the drone’s Synthetic Aperture Radar and Tactical Mesh Network systems. The drone’s ability to maintain safe flight under adverse weather conditions was tested as well. All tests proved that the drone is ready to move on to practical applications. AeroVironment points out that these applications could include using the drone as a command station to control swarms of drones, like the Switchblade, on the battlefield. Testing these applications will be AeroVironment’s next step in the development and deployment of the Horus A drone. Building upon decades of experience, AeroVironment’s Horus A exemplifies the character of Ancient Egypt’s most powerful god, Horus. The drone is set to provide protection and support for the U.S. DoD while ruling the skies and harnessing the power of the sun.
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