China’s solar powered unmanned plane Caihong can stay in air for months; here’s how it looks like

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China's solar powered unmanned plane Caihong: China has unveiled a solar-powered unmanned plane which has the capability to stay in the air for months. The sun-powered unmanned plane has reached a height of 65,000ft in altitude during a test flight, according to reports. (Reuters)

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China's solar powered unmanned plane Caihong: The plane is known as the Caihong or Rainbow and has been developed by China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA). (Associated Press)

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China's solar powered unmanned plane Caihong: The plane has an astonishing wingspan of over 40 meters wider than that of a Boeing 737 passenger aircraft, reports say. The drone can cruise at a speed of 150 to 200 km per hour. (Associated Press)

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China's solar powered unmanned plane Caihong: The test flight was kept a top secret, and the plane is being touted as the second largest solar-powered drone in the world. (Reuters)

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The plane is known as the Caihong or Rainbow and has been developed by China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA). The plane has an astonishing wingspan of over 40 meters wider than that of a Boeing 737 passenger aircraft, reports say. The drone can cruise at a speed of 150 to 200 km per hour. (Reuters)

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The drone is beaten only by a model by NASA and its performance index and technological capacity are among the most advanced in the world, says chief engineer of CAAA drone project, Shi Wen. (Reuters)

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China is likely to sell the design to other countries, as per reports. The unmanned aerial vehicle will be used mostly for airborne early warning, aerial reconnaissance, disaster monitoring, meteorological observation and communications relay. (Reuters)

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Notably, in 2015 the world’s first solar-powered aircraft ‘Solar Impulse-2’ had made stopovers in Ahmedabad and Varanasi. (Reuters)