[Satellite TODAY 09-17-10] The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded an $89.3 million contract to Boeing for the development of a light, unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) as part of the Vulture 2 program, Boeing announced Sept. 15.
    The Vulture program aims to produce a high-altitude satellite surveillance aircraft with features including solar energy collection and storage, reliability and flight control. The aircraft has been named SolarEagle and is expected to make its first demonstration flight in February 2014.
    Boeing will develop SolarEagle’s full-scale flight demonstrator, including maturation of the critical power system and structures technologies. Suppliers for the program include Versa Power Systems and QinetiQ.
    “SolarEagle is a uniquely configured, large unmanned aircraft designed to eventually remain on station at stratospheric altitudes for at least five years. That’s a daunting task, but Boeing has a highly reliable solar-electric design that will meet the challenge in order to perform persistent communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from altitudes above 60,000 feet,” Pat O’Neil, Boeing’s Vulture 2 program manager, said in a statement.