Technology:
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will start developing a large unmanned plane with a
length of 15 m in 2014. The plane is for disaster monitoring and capable of
flying for three days without refuel. With a highly energy-efficient engine and
a large airframe, it will be able to monitor a large-scale disaster site from the sky. The unmanned
plane JAXA currently uses is 1.6 m in length, and it can fly for only 20
minutes. The agency will finish the research on factor technologies and put the
plane into practical use by 2022.
The new unmanned
plane will be 10-15 m long and 30-40 m wide. Driven by propellers, it will
carry a solar battery as auxiliary power source in addition to the highly
energy-efficient engine. It can cruise higher than 15,000 m above the sea level
and observe the ground surface above clouds using sensors. It will also carry
infrared cameras and new radar that can film the land surface night and day
with the help of microwaves. In addition, it can carry a receiving apparatus
capable of automatic identification of ships in passage. It will fly the sky over
the Japanese territorial waters and locate suspicious ships.
A small unmanned
plane developed by the JAXA
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