Crydon Defense Systems Inc. · St. Petersburg, FL UEI ER13XF6JSQ64 · CAGE 15L43 · U.S.-owned · No FOCI
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Engineering heritage · Stratospheric

ApusDuo / ApusNeo HAPS

Solar-electric, ultra-light aircraft that loiter in the stratosphere above weather and air traffic — a repositionable alternative to satellites for relay and observation.

Aerial view of the ApusDuo tandem-wing solar aircraft on a grass field with its ground crew Solar high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS)
ApusDuo flight altitude, 2023
16,686 m
continuous flight, ApusNeo 18
48 h
carbon-fibre airframe
43 kg

A family of solar-electric, ultra-light high-altitude pseudo-satellites that loiter for ultra-long durations in the stratosphere, around 20 km — above weather and conventional air traffic. They are low-cost, repositionable alternatives to satellites for persistent communications relay and wide-area Earth observation, launched without airfield infrastructure.

The tandem-wing ApusDuo is the flagship; the newer ApusNeo adds high-resolution imaging. Both demonstrate control of ultra-light aircraft in the unstable atmosphere of high-altitude flight.

Variants

  • ApusDuo (APUS DUO 15)

    The flagship carbon-fibre tandem-wing solar HAPS, two 15 m wings, for persistent communications relay and wide-area observation. Flight-tested in unstable atmospheric conditions.

  • ApusNeo (ApusNeo 18)

    A newer variant optimized for high-resolution Earth observation — 48 hours of continuous flight, with geolocated imagery at up to 2 m GSD from about 12 km.

Specifications

Class
Solar HAPS (stratospheric pseudo-satellite)
Wingspan
15 m × 2 wings, tandem
Weight
About 43 kg (95 lb), carbon fibre
Operating altitude
About 18–20 km (up to ~65,000 ft)
Design persistence
Up to 365 days at ~20° latitude
Maximum payload
2 kg
Propulsion
Brushless DC motors, three two-blade propellers
Power
Solar cells across both wings, Li-ion battery modules
Launch / recovery
Winch launch; no airfield equipment
View from the HAPS wing in the stratosphere, high above the cloud layer
View from the HAPS wing in the stratosphere, high above the cloud layer
The HAPS wing above towering clouds with the sun low on the horizon
The HAPS wing above towering clouds with the sun low on the horizon

Press and media

Published by UAVOS and the trade press.

Product page

Press release

News

Reference

Video

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