BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- A Chinese unmanned flying saucer, the first of the kind in the country, will take to the sky within two years, a Chinese scientist announced in Beijing on Monday.

An artist's concept of the Chinese unmanned flying saucer (peoplelaw.com.cn)

    Professor Yan Lei with the School of Earth and Space Sciences of the elite Peking University said the so-called flying saucer is actually an analogue simulation model on a solar-energy-powered stratosphere, also known as ozone layer, a flight system widely used in fields such as telecommunications, meteorology and the earth monitoring.

    The Chinese scientist said that he is applying for a state patent for the creation.

    The model was developed by a research team consisting of scientists from Professor Yan's school and technological workers from two private companies of technologies in Beijing.

    The analogue simulation model is a five-pointed star shaped platform capable of adjusting itself in the atmosphere so that the amount of electricity generated by the solar panels attached to the top of the platform keeps rising.

    "Unlike conventional aerocraft which rely on high-speed movement for lifting force and the fuel-powered engine for dynamics, the newly-developed model employs propellers activated by machinery without bearings," Professor Yan explained.

    So the model, which is said to contain more than a score of inventions, is also capable of operating noiseless flights, making vertical takeoffs and landings, remaining in suspension for a longtime in the air.

    The newly developed model can partly replace the functions of a satellite as well.

    Because its flight altitude is lower than that of the satellite,it can outperform the satellite by providing better services such as shorter signal delays when applied in telecommunications, according to Professor Yan. Enditem