US-based SolAero has entered a deal to provide its solar cell technology for Bye Aerospace’s new StratoAirNet solar-electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The deal also includes engineering, development and production collaboration between SolAero and Bye Aerospace.

SolAero has already completed the preliminary design review of the solar cell that will power StratoAirNet.

“The efficiencies of their solar cells will make the benefits of StratoAirNet even more compelling."

In addition, preliminary flight tests were also conducted on a smaller scale test wing, with plans to perform whole wing solar cell tests on the 15m wing span of StratoAirNet prototype.

Currently undergoing final assembly, the first medium-altitude StratoAirNet 15 proof of concept UAV prototype is designed to provide constant intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to support commercial and government security requirements.

Bye Aerospace CEO George Bye said: “The efficiencies 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.”

The company also noted that StratoAirNet can be used for various applications such as communications relay, internet, mapping, search-and-rescue, as well as firefighting command and control.

They can further be used for anti-poaching monitoring, damage assessment, severe weather tracking, agriculture monitoring, mineral source surveying, spill detection and infrastructure quality assessment.

Providing more than 350W/m² under standard conditions, SolAero’s solar cell technology has powered 170 space missions.

Image: StratoAirNet solar cell test wing. Photo: courtesy of Bye Aerospace.