Has Boeing's PHANTOM EYE's First Flight Opened the Door to a New Generation of Persistent, High-Altitude Aircraft

Boeing Phantom Works President, Darryl Davis, believes PHANTOM EYE's first flight has opened the door to a new generation of persistent, high-altitude aircraft and raised the bar for what unmanned aircraft are capable of:

"For the warfighter, affordable and persistent communications and ISR isn't merely valuable, it's a matter of life and death. With the first flight of Phantom Eye, we've opened the door to a new generation of true high-altitude, long-endurance flight that will deliver affordable and persistent communications and ISR to the warfighter. When we can break the paradigm of endurance being measured in hours, and make the move into days and weeks, we'll drastically reduce the logistical and support costs of providing persistent communications and ISR. The acquisition and training costs will also drop as fewer aircraft will be needed for any given mission. Whether it's during war, peace or following a national disaster, the idea of having ultra-persistent 'eyes in the sky' at altitudes of up to 65,000ft for days at a time is extremely valuable. Think about the possibilities: four UAVs with the right ISR package and 10 days of endurance, could give you 24/7/365 coverage anywhere in the world. And you could operate from within your own borders and not have to deploy a single crew member. That's the value of persistence; and we've moved closer to making that scenario a reality. PHANTOM EYE itself is a prime example of blending innovative thinking, with a balanced mix of cutting-edge and well-understood technology. It was built around a single mission requirement: Four days of continuous flight at altitudes of up to 65,000 feet. That singular focus allowed an innovative and dedicated team to design and build a flexible vehicle; one that is payload and mission-agnostic -- an aircraft that will pave the way for larger vehicles with greater payload capacity and up to 10 days of endurance. Of course PHANTOM EYE's journey has just begun. We look forward to the next steps as we continue to test its capabilities."

(Photo: Boeing)