French defense electronics manufacturer Thales, together with American aerospace startup Skydweller Aero, has developed a solar-powered drone with artificial intelligence. It is designed for long-term monitoring of maritime areas, which is especially relevant in times of geopolitical tension.
French defense electronics manufacturer Thales, together with American aerospace startup Skydweller Aero, has developed a solar-powered drone with artificial intelligence. It is designed for long-term monitoring of maritime areas, which is especially relevant in times of geopolitical tension.
This solar drone has a wingspan larger than a Boeing 747 and can carry a much larger payload than its predecessors — up to 400 kg, writes Interesting Engineering.
Thales has integrated its AirMaster S AI radar into the MAPS Skydweller drone, which provides rapid situational awareness in the air, on land and at sea.
AI-based data processing allows for on-board target classification, significantly reducing the data load sent to ground control points and ensuring efficient bandwidth utilization, which is critical for long-duration autonomous missions.
This combination of AI radar with the zero-emission Skydweller UAV creates a fully autonomous, sustainable reconnaissance and surveillance platform capable of monitoring areas in the Mediterranean, Indo-Pacific or Atlantic regions.
Most importantly, the AirMaster S radar system has auto-tuning features that dynamically adapt to changes in mission and environmental conditions.
This level of autonomous adaptation increases the drone's ability to remain over regions of interest for extended periods of time without returning to base and without the need for costly ground intervention.
A drone can monitor entire ocean regions, track illegal trade, conduct anti-piracy operations, or provide intelligence surveillance during “gray zone” conflicts at a cost that is significantly lower than the operating costs of traditional aircraft.
