A British-led team of engineers has taken a leap forward in the race to harness the stratosphere for earth observation and communications, completing a new series of test flights of BAE Systems’ High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS), PHASA-35®, in quick succession.
During the first flight at Spaceport America® in New Mexico, US, in recent weeks, the solar powered aircraft flew for 24 hours climbing to more than 66,000 feet and cruising in the stratosphere, before successfully landing in a serviceable condition, meaning it was ready to fly again just two days later.
This is a major milestone in the development of PHASA-35, named after its 35 metre wingspan, demonstrating its ability to be launched, flown, landed, potentially reconfigured and then relaunched again so quickly.
Designed by BAE Systems’ subsidiary Prismatic Ltd to operate above the weather and conventional air traffic, PHASA-35, has the potential to provide a persistent and stable platform for uses including ultra-long endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Bob Davidson, CEO, BAE Systems’ Prismatic, said: “These latest flight trials are a significant step forward in proving PHASA-35’s capability for operations and a real moment of pride for our entire team.”
“We’re committed to continuing to develop PHASA-35 at pace to make it available for operational activity as soon as 2026,” he added.
The latest trials also saw the aircraft carry an active intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance sensor, known as a software defined radio, developed by BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence business. This weighed more than twice as much as the previous payload it had flown to the stratosphere with.
At Prismatic’s site in Alton, Hampshire, UK the PHASA-35 team has now built the next iteration of PHASA-35. The new model has more than twice the onboard solar power generation and storage capacity than the current version. These modifications are expected to allow it to demonstrate stratospheric missions of increasing duration and complexity from next year onwards.
Prismatic sits within FalconWorks®, the advanced research and development arm of BAE System’s Air sector.
Dave Holmes, Managing Director, FalconWorks at BAE Systems, said: “These latest trials draw on a huge amount of collaboration between Prismatic, the wider BAE Systems business and industry partners, including Honeywell and the UK Met Office.
“They demonstrate the credibility and capability of the system for operational use.”
The PHASA-35 team will now use data from these most recent trials to further improve and mature this novel technology.
The latest flights took place from Spaceport America in New Mexico (photo), flying in the White Sands Missile Range, and are sponsored by the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center. These test flights at White Sands Missile Range were coordinated and directly supported by personnel attached to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Detachment White Sands.
PHASA-35 also has the potential to be used in the delivery of communications networks including 4G and 5G and could be used in a wide range of applications, such as disaster relief and border protection, as a cost effective alternative to traditional airborne and satellite systems.
It has a 35-metre wingspan and carries a payload weighing up to 15kg, uses a range of world-leading technologies including advanced composites, thermal management, and photo-voltaic arrays to provide energy during the day which is stored in high performance rechargeable cells to maintain flight overnight.
PHASA-35 forms part of a wider array of UAS capability which BAE Systems is developing to offer customers flexibility in range, payload and cost.
BAE Systems provides some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions. The company employs a skilled workforce of around 100,000 people in more than 40 countries. Working with customers and local partners, BAE Systems develops, engineers, manufactures, and supports products and systems to deliver military capability, protect national security, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.