Bye Aerospace, SolAero Technologies Collaborate on Medium-Altitude UAV

The StratoAirNet family of UAVs will provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to support commercial and government security requirements. The initial medium-altitude StratoAirNet 15 proof of concept prototype is undergoing final assembly. Following the successful preliminary design review process, flight tests were conducted on a small-scale wing powered by SolAero solar cells. Following further measurements and fit checks, additional test flights will soon commence on the 15-meter wing span prototype.

Since 2001, SolAero products have reliably powered nearly 200 successful satellite missions. SolAero holds the world record efficiency in space solar cells with 50+ patents and disclosures for their 33.0% efficient Inverted Metamorphic (IMM) technology. The IMM solar cell technology offers the highest available power density of any solar cell currently in production with more than 350 W/m².

"SolAero is one of the world's leading providers of advanced space solar power solutions," said George Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace. "The superior performance of their solar cells will make the benefits of StratoAirNet even more compelling, allowing the airplane to fly at higher altitudes with almost unlimited flight endurance. We appreciate SolAero's collaboration with our team and look forward to working together to demonstrate a remarkable pseudo-satellite aircraft capability that many have said is unachievable."

"We are very excited about our partnership with Bye Aerospace and the future opportunities of the solar-powered StratoAirNet family of UAVs," said Brad Clevenger, CEO of SolAero Technologies. "The combination of our advanced solar cell technology and integration expertise with the wide range of capabilities of the StratoAirNet UAV family will help usher in a new era of long endurance middle and high altitude commercial and defense UAVs."

Bye said potential commercial mission applications for StratoAirNet include communications relay, internet service, mapping, search and rescue, firefighting command and control, anti-poaching monitoring, damage assessment, severe weather tracking, agriculture monitoring ("precision ag"), mineral source surveying, spill detection and infrastructure quality assessment.

About SolAero Technologies:
SolAero Technologies Corp. is a leading provider of solar cells and solar panels to satellite and spacecraft OEMs.  The business was founded in 1998 and is one of the world's leading providers of space solar power solutions.  SolAero is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM and employs approximately 280 people. For further information about SolAero, visit http://www.solaerotech.com.

About Bye Aerospace:
Bye Aerospace is an innovator of sophisticated aerospace technology. The company, which was founded in 2007, is headquartered near Denver and brings advances in energy and design efficiencies to aerospace applications.  For more information, go to www.ByeAerospace.com.

Contact:
Ms. Maggie Smith
Marketing Communications Manager
(505) 559-2685
[email protected]

SOURCE SolAero Technologies Corp.

Related Links

http://www.solaerotech.com