Drones

British military’s new £13mn Zephyr drone flies at 70,000ft for 45 days straight

Britain’s new £13 million Zephyr-S Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can fly for 45 days at a height of 70,000ft, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The latest addition to Britain’s rapidly expanding, multibillion-pound drone armada is being touted as a key part of the country’s defense at a time when more conventional military initiatives are badly delayed and troop numbers are facing the chop under austerity measures.

The MoD touts the Zephyr as being more like a satellite than a drone as it flies higher than a commercial airliner for such extended periods.

In a statement on the MoD website, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the UAV “is a cutting-edge, record-breaking piece of kit that will be capable of gathering constant, reliable information over vast geographical areas at a much greater level of detail than ever before.”

He said the new kit is “part of our plan for stronger and better defense, backed by a budget that will rise each year of this decade.”

“That means more ships, more aircraft, more troops available at readiness, better equipment for special forces, more being spent on cyber – to deal with the increased threats to our country,” he claimed.