10-07/08 :: July/August 2010

nanotimes

Companies Facts

to EUR7.0 million (previous year: EUR9.4 million). As at June 30, 2010, the order backlog amounted to EUR56.2 million (previous year: EUR103.9 mil- lion). The sales and earnings forecast for fiscal year 2010 are confirmed with expected sales revenues of EUR120 million and an EBIT margin of between 8% and 10%.

The Industrial Systems division generated sales re- venues of EUR12.2 million (previous year: EUR23.2 million), the Semiconductor Systems division achie- ved EUR11.9 million (previous year: EUR21.5 mil- lion), and Solar Systems EUR39.7 million (previous year: EUR31.8 million). http://www.pvatepla.com

Q

inetiQ Zephyr (QQ), successfully landed after 14 days (336 hours) and 21 minutes

flying over Arizona, USA, and is now awaiting offi- cial confirmation of its world record status.

the previous official record of 30 hours 24 minutes set by Northrop Grumman‘s RQ-4A Global Hawk in March 2001. The Zephyr’s world record flight was completed on July 23, 2010 at the US Army’s Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona.

Sion Power announced that their proprietary lithi- um sulfur (Li-S) batteries played a critical role in the QinetiQ Zephyr smashing the world record for the longest duration unmanned flight. A result of an in- tensive joint development effort between Sion Power and QinetiQ, the Zephyr flight exceeded 336 hours (14 days) of continuous flight, significantly surpassing

The Zephyr, a solar/battery powered all electric UAV with a wing span of 70 feet (22.5 m) and a weight of just over 110 lbs. (50 kg), achieved this remarkable record using a combination of solar power during the day and Sion Power’s Li-S batteries at night. After a ground launch, the Zephyr flew to altitudes of up to 70,000 feet, where the UAV encountered external temperatures as low as minus 75° C (167° Fahrenheit). The custom built Li-S battery pack was designed and assembled by Sion Power in Tucson,

© QinetiQ

33