# Solar Powered Planes QinetiQ Zephyr Breaks World Record By Adam Lowe | Published 2008-08-25 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solar-powered-plane-breaks-world-record References: [news.cnet](http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10024250-1.html) & [news.cnet](http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10024250-1.html) While world records were being broken at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, one of the world's leading defence technology firms was breaking records of its own. Can you imagine flying for more than three days in a solar powered plane? Regular solar flight might be possible in the not too distant future. **QinetiQ** claims its propeller-driven, unmanned solar aircraft called the '**Zephyr**' flew 83 hours and 37 minutes nonstop to break the official world record set in 2001 by Northrup Grumman's Global Hawk ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.9/10 - Popularity: 7% | Activity: 43% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Solar Powered Planes:** The trend of using solar power to fuel planes presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the aviation industry. - **Long-duration Flights:** The trend of achieving longer flight durations in solar powered planes presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the aerospace industry. - **Unmanned Aircraft:** The trend of using unmanned solar aircraft opens up disruptive innovation opportunities in defense and surveillance industries. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Aviation:** The aviation industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities by incorporating solar power into aircraft. - **Aerospace:** The aerospace industry can capitalize on the trend of long-duration flights in solar powered planes to develop innovative solutions for endurance missions. - **Defense and Surveillance:** The defense and surveillance industries can leverage unmanned solar aircraft to revolutionize aerial monitoring and reconnaissance operations. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Renewable Energy Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solarpowered-aircraft.md) - [Eco-Friendly Stratospheric Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sceye-haps.md) - [Solar-Powered Sleek Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-solaris.md) - [Power-Beaming Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/laser-recharging-system.md) - [Decarbonizing Demonstrator Aircraft](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/demonstrator-aircraft.md) - [Futuristic Solar-Powered Vehicles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lightyear-0.md) - [Solar-Powered Private Catamarans](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/zen50.md) - [Range-Roving Electric Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/electric-aircrafts.md) - [Noiseless Electric Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/electric-aircraft-technology.md)