First Commercial Run of Solar-Electric UAS
Silent Falcon UAS operating in a search-and-rescue scenario. Photo: Silent Falcon UAS.
Closeup of solar panels on the wings of the Silent Falcon UAS. Photo: Silent Falcon UAS.
Silent Falcon UAS Technologies started production of the first commercially available solar-electric aircraft, its Silent Falcon unmanned aircraft system, to fill its first orders.
“Customer flight demonstrations are underway today,” says Chairman of Silent Falcon UAS and CEO of Bye Aerospace George Bye. “We believe Silent Falcon UAS has a large and growing military and international commercial market.”
The 30-pound Silent Falcon has an endurance of eight hours and includes interchangeable wing configurations for use in commercial, public safety and defense applications, according to a company press release.
Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. provided the solar cells for the aircraft after becoming a development partner in 2012.
“We are extremely pleased with the Silent Falcon aircraft’s capability,” says Joe Armstrong, chief technology officer of Ascent Solar. “Its solar wings, based on our in-production flexible, monolithically integrated CIGS [copper indium gallium selenium] photovoltaic product, are performing well, giving the propulsion systems a significant source of lightweight electric energy and enabling the aircraft’s unprecedented endurance.”
