In a 
ceremony in St. Louis, Boeing on Monday unveiled its hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye remotely piloted aircraft, which is designed to remain aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days. “Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications,” said Darryl Davis, Boeing Phantom Works president. Later this summer, the company will ship Phantom Eye to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., to begin ground and taxi tests in preparation for its first flight in early 2011. That debut flight is expected to last between four and eight hours, said company officials. Phantom Eye has a 150-foot wingspan and is built to cruise at about 150 knots and carry a payload up to 450 pounds. Boeing’s industry team includes Ford Motor Company and Aurora Flight Sciences. (Boeing release)
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…