Unmanned aerial vehicles are making the transition towards solar powered cells. The benefit of solar powered cells built onto UAVs is that you can attain longer flight times allowing for more flexibility and greater accomplishments with UAVs. The UAVs are not expected to be entirely propelled by solar power any times soon. Rather they will fuel up as traditional UAVs have but then once fuel runs low, the vehicle will switch to its solar power reserves allowing it additional precious airtime.
This development was discovered at the University of Washington by Dr. Minoru Taya who started experimenting with aerial vehicles powered by solar cells.
What does this development really mean? It means another step forward for the US military. We will be able to have greater flexibility with our UAVs which means that we can conduct better reconnaissance and gain intel on targets which are farther away than ever. This further proves that our military is irreversibly heading in the direction of technology. With every year that passes we will become more dependent on technology and innovations. I am not saying this is a bad thing. Rather I am only noting that the best militaries in the future will be the ones which have the most innovative products and gadgets. Even now the nations with the most advanced computer hacking programs are getting ahead of other nations. It is certainly an interesting time that we are in, unprecedented by any other period in history. We are in the age of modern innovation and marvels. An age which never could have been imagined by our forefathers.
