Boeing unveiled the hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye demonstrator, which it said will stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days.
"Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications," Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said at the unveiling ceremony in St. Louis, according to a news release. "It is a perfect example of turning an idea into a reality. It defines our rapid prototyping efforts and will demonstrate the art-of-the-possible when it comes to persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The capabilities inherent in Phantom Eye's design will offer game-changing opportunities for our military, civil and commercial customers."
Phantom Eye is powered by two 2.3-liter, four-cylinder Ford engines that provide 150 horsepower each. It has a 150-foot wingspan, will cruise at approximately 150 knots and can carry up to a 450-pound payload.
"The hydrogen propulsion system will be the key to Phantom Eye's success," Drew Mallow, Phantom Eye program manager for Boeing, said in the release. "It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so it's also a 'green' aircraft."
Boeing plans to ship the demonstrated later this summer to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for ground and taxi tests in preparation for its first flight early next year.
I have to throw in the required caveat for hydrogen, which is that it takes power (produced some other way) to generate it. OK, here's a photo