An Airbus' Zephyr S solar-powered, very-high-altitude unmanned aircraft is in the midst of a long-duration test flight and has already been aloft for 17 days so far.

The drone, sometimes described as a pseudo-satellite in terms of potential capabilities, took off from the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona last month for what the service says is a test of its highly efficient long-endurance flight characteristics as part of broader work to demonstrate its ability to serve as a persistent sensor platform.

The Zephyr S in question, a design originally known as the Zephyr 8, was first spotted on online flight tracking software taking off from an airstrip at Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) on June 15.

Airbus’ solar-powered Zephyr S has been flying non-stop for more than 17 days

For the next ten days, the unmanned aircraft, which has been using the callsign Zulu 82, flew various patterns over the adjacent Yuma Test Range and Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

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