ATSB: Airbus Zephyr drone broke up because of unstable weather conditions

A drone with a safety flotation device in a beach north of Sydney in 2017. On Sept 28 the Australian Transport Safety Bureau reported that an Airbus SE high-altitude surveillance and communications drone broke up in flight after its launch in September 2019 because of unstable weather conditions. — AFP

SYDNEY: An Airbus SE high-altitude surveillance and communications drone broke up in flight after its launch in September 2019 because of unstable weather conditions, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said on Sept 28.

It was the second consecutive failed flight for the Zephyr programme from a launch site in northwest Australia, the ATSB said in a report.