August 25, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 22, 1429

LONDON, Aug 24: An ultra-lightweight plane built from carbon fibre and powered using paper-thin solar panels broke the world record for longest-lasting unmanned flight, its manufacturer claimed on Sunday.

QinetiQ Group PLC said the propeller-driven “Zephyr” aircraft flew for 83 hours and 37 minutes, more than doubling the official world record set by Northrop Grumman’s “Global Hawk” in 2001.

The flight also lasted longer than a previous excursion by the Zephyr, which QinetiQ claims clocked 54 hours of continuous flight last year.

However both the Zephyr’s reported flight times are likely to remain unofficial because they did not meet criteria laid down by the world’s air sports federation, the body responsible for measuring and verifying air and space records, QinetiQ spokesman Douglas Millard said.

“We were concentrating more on the flight than the record,” he said.

The 30kg plane was launched by hand on July 28 in the Arizona desert in the US and flown by autopilot and via satellite to an altitude of more than 60,000 feet, QinetiQ said. Drawing on the power of the sun during the day, the plane stayed aloft at night using rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries. The more than three-day flight began on July 28 and was witnessed by US and British defence officials, the company said.

QinetiQ said the Zephyr, which is funded by a host of US and British military agencies, had potential applications in the fields of reconnaissance and communications.—AP