News Article
Ascent Solar CIGS fly aboard Silent Falcon unmanned aircraft
The aircraft is designed for domestic and international commercial, public safety and defence applications
Ascent Solar's CIGS modules have been employed in the first successful flights of the production Silent Falcon Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SFUAS).
Silent Falcon UAS, jointly developed by SFUAS, Bye Aerospace and Ascent Solar, is a tactical drone designed to be easily deployed, and integrates proprietary, disruptive technology to deliver superior UAS performance.
The patent-pending Silent Falcon is a solar/electric powered, all composite and modular small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) equipped with an interchangeable wing configuration designed for commercial, public safety and defence applications both domestically and internationally.
The Silent Falcon sUAS system
The combination of efficient aerodynamic design, lightweight composite construction and Ascent’s monolithically integrated and ultra-lightweight thin film photovoltaic modules, enables the 25 lb. Silent Falcon UAS a remarkable six to twelve hour flight endurance.
“These first flights represent the culmination of tremendous collaboration between Ascent Solar, Bye Aerospace, and Silent Falcon UAS,” states Joseph Armstrong, Chief Technology Officer of Ascent Solar.
“Overcoming technological challenges, our teams have demonstrated the ability to integrate our flexible photovoltaics with appropriate power management systems into a feature-rich small unmanned aircraft system enabling extended mission flight time and, as a result, enhanced mission flexibility. More importantly, the photovoltaic modules integrated into the wings represent a lightweight version of our production materials, and as such, are immediately available,” continues Armstrong.
“The Silent Falcon’s unprecedented performance and value is ready for the market place as we transitioned from prototype and commenced low rate initial production,” adds John Brown, President of SFUAS. “Our sales teams are targeting domestic, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region.”
Silent Falcon UAS Technologies was established in 2010 to introduce disruptive technological UAV innovation to global defence, intelligence and national security agencies, the domestic public safety agency market and U.S.-based private security contractors. The company is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Silent Falcon UAS, jointly developed by SFUAS, Bye Aerospace and Ascent Solar, is a tactical drone designed to be easily deployed, and integrates proprietary, disruptive technology to deliver superior UAS performance.
The patent-pending Silent Falcon is a solar/electric powered, all composite and modular small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) equipped with an interchangeable wing configuration designed for commercial, public safety and defence applications both domestically and internationally.
The Silent Falcon sUAS system
The combination of efficient aerodynamic design, lightweight composite construction and Ascent’s monolithically integrated and ultra-lightweight thin film photovoltaic modules, enables the 25 lb. Silent Falcon UAS a remarkable six to twelve hour flight endurance.
“These first flights represent the culmination of tremendous collaboration between Ascent Solar, Bye Aerospace, and Silent Falcon UAS,” states Joseph Armstrong, Chief Technology Officer of Ascent Solar.
“Overcoming technological challenges, our teams have demonstrated the ability to integrate our flexible photovoltaics with appropriate power management systems into a feature-rich small unmanned aircraft system enabling extended mission flight time and, as a result, enhanced mission flexibility. More importantly, the photovoltaic modules integrated into the wings represent a lightweight version of our production materials, and as such, are immediately available,” continues Armstrong.
“The Silent Falcon’s unprecedented performance and value is ready for the market place as we transitioned from prototype and commenced low rate initial production,” adds John Brown, President of SFUAS. “Our sales teams are targeting domestic, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region.”
Silent Falcon UAS Technologies was established in 2010 to introduce disruptive technological UAV innovation to global defence, intelligence and national security agencies, the domestic public safety agency market and U.S.-based private security contractors. The company is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
