The military may soon deploy unpiloted solar-powered planes to replace billions of dollars worth of spy satellites and supersonic surveillance aircraft to make these planes slower and more lightweight.
US Military Eyes Deployment of Solar Planes
How can the government use these spy planes when companies are already planning to fill the sky with their own satellite systems? SpaceX, in particular, has recently launched a number of satellites into orbit, with plans to launch hundreds more in the future.
USCENTCOM, a body that oversees and facilitates military operations and activities with allies and partners to enhance regional security, has recently come to light some gaps in military spy plane tech.
Based on a recent press release, the agency must reevaluate and reinvent its approach to airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance due to regional threats, rapid technological change, and resource competition in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility.
The US Central Command then held an event with the goal of "enhance[ing] the culture of innovation," identifying and accelerating warfighter capabilities, raising awareness, and encouraging understanding of a variety of innovative and emerging technologies, including cutting-edge ISR technology.
Better at Surveillance
As per NewScientist, while satellites once had the benefit of being impervious to enemies, it is now believed that the US, China, and Russia all have systems that can take them down. This is mainly the reason nations are looking for other options. Although these anti-satellite weapons have been tested, they are not believed to have been actively deployed.
The conference was closed to the general public, but reports suggest that one of the options discussed involved a cheaper, slow-flying, the lightweight solar plane that could serve as a geostationary satellite for weeks or months at a time and cost a fraction of the price of most military commissioned planes.
As said by experts, adaptability is one reason to concentrate on solar-powered aircraft. These types of aircraft can be moved around at will, as opposed to satellites, which require time and preparation to move to a new orbit.
NewScientist quotes Dan Lomas at Brunel University London: "These drones are pseudo-satellites that offer you greater operational flexibility than a satellite to respond to situations."
Additionally, some experts note that while solar planes may not be as gripping as supersonic spy planes, their slow flight makes them ideal for surveillance. Besides that, solar-powered aircraft are more suitable for the task than drones with conventional engines that must frequently return to a base for refueling.
In other news, on Friday, Oct. 28, the largest aircraft in the world successfully completed a flight. The air-launched hypersonic vehicle, TA-0, from Stratolaunch's Roc made its first flight with the Talon-A separation test vehicle.
Roc's eighth flight lasted five hours and six minutes over the Mojave Desert, reaching a height of 23,000 feet (7,000 meters).
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