From Boeing Official News
Boeing unveiled its hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system during a ceremony in St. Louis on July 12. The protester, who stay in the air at 65,000 feet for up to four days, is powered by two 2-liter four-cylinder engine providing 150 horsepower each. It has a wingspan of 150 feet, will cruise at about 150 knots and can carry up to a payload of 450 pounds.
“Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open a whole new market in collecting data and communications,” Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said today at the opening ceremony in St. Louis. “It’s a perfect example of turning an idea into a reality. It defines rapid prototyping efforts and demonstrate the art-of-the-possible when dealing with constant intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. Capabilities inherent in the design of Phantom Eye willingness to offer game-changing opportunities for our military clients, civil and commercial matters. ”
Boeing Defense and Space Security President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg addresses the crowd of employees gathered in St. Louis to see the Phantom Eye, a hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial system.
Later this summer, Phantom Eye will be shipped to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California to begin a series of soil tests and taxis in preparation for its first flight in early , 2011. That first flight is expected to last between four and eight hours.
“The program is moving quickly, and it’s exciting to be part of a unique aircraft,” said Drew Mallow, Phantom Eye program manager for Boeing. “The hydrogen propulsion system will be key to the success of Phantom Eye. It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so that an aircraft is also environmentally responsible.”
