Radical flies full-size prototype for stratospheric drone

Radical flies full-size prototype for stratospheric drone

Seattle-based Radical says it has put a full-size prototype for a solar-powered drone through its first flight, marking one low-altitude step in the startup’s campaign to send robo-planes into the stratosphere for long-duration military and commercial missions. “It’s a 120-foot-wingspan aircraft that only weighs 240 pounds,” Radical CEO James Thomas told me. “We’re talking about something that has a wingspan just a bit bigger than a Boeing 737, …