Boeing's Phantom Eye is the Cutting Edge of Unmanned Alternative Fuel Aircraft

Along with Airbus, Boeing is one of the big commercial aircraft company names that get thrown around when it comes to biofuel and renewable energy powered aircraft. Both companies have made some progress in the field and each keeps promising to continue working until they develop some sort of viable alternative to current jet fuels. While not a step in the direction of changing commercial flight, Boeing did reveal their brand new hydrogen fueled craft earlier this week.

Called the Phantom Eye, the unmanned probe was unveiled as the latest in unmanned aircraft that utilize biofuel technology. The prototype is powered by a pair of 2 liter, 4 cylinder hydrogen engines capable of 150 horsepower each. At full power, the Phantom Eye will be capable of cruising at 65,000 feet with a maximum speed of approximately 170 mph. Since the fuel for the Phantom Eye is hydrogen, Boeing says that the only byproduct the engine will produce is water allowing the craft to operate with high fuel efficiency and lower waste output. The lead researcher behind the Phantom Eye, Drew Mallow, has also expressed satisfaction with the fact that the craft is an "environmentally responsible" unit.

So far, Boeing believes the unmanned craft will be used primary as a means of gathering intelligence or operating as a surveillance or reconnaissance vehicle. However, with the ability to carry around 450 pounds of cargo Boeing also believes that the Phantom Eye could be used for a variety of purposes by customers in both the civil and military markets.

Two years ago, Boeing announced that their Phantom Works, the same group responsible for the Phantom Eye, had flown a small manned aircraft that was powered by a hydrogen biofuel battery. Based off the airframe of a small motorized glider, the pilot was able to climb to 3,300 feet before returning to the ground after a 20 minute flight. At the time, Boeing said that they believed it was unlikely that large commercial aircraft would ever be able to run entirely off hydrogen powered engines due to the size and cost constraints of hydrogen systems. Considering the fact that they have focused their hydrogen engine technology on small unmanned aircraft, it would seem Boeing still has that idea in mind while still trying for the development of other biofuel engine types. So far, one of the only hydrogen powered commercial sized aircraft to ever fly is a Russian built Tu-155 (of which only one was built) that flew test flights before being retired.

Now that is has been unveiled, Boeing's Phantom Eye will be moved to Edwards Air Force Base where it will undergo testing to ensure this new biofuel aircraft can live up to Boeing's claims. It will be flown for the first time in 2011 after ground tests and fly for several hours before being grounded for further research. Presumably, once testing is complete the Phantom Eye will go on the market as one of the first hydrogen powered unmanned aircraft to ever operate in the world.

Photo Credit: Weapons & Technology