Propulsion
The rapid increase in the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across diverse applications—including surveillance, agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, and logistics—has amplified the need for reliable, safe, and autonomous power management solutions. Most UAVs currently rely on lithium-polymer (Li-Po) batteries with limited energy density, restricting typical flight duration to
Propulsion
* Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, is developing a new family of engines, scalable from 500 to 1,800 pounds of thrust, that are capable of powering munitions and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. "This new family of engines is being developed by our GATORWORKS team, which prioritized development speed and
Business
In early June, GE Aerospace’s Defense & Systems division signed a formal teaming agreement with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to put performance and affordability into a small and mighty package: the high-thrust turbofan propulsion systems for the next generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The latest such engine
Testing
* ZeroAvia has announced that it has completed a full flight profile ground test of its certification-intent low temperature proton exchange membrane (LTPEM) fuel cell power generation system (PGS) for the ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain. The test simulated a 250 nautical mile flight in a Cessna Caravan 208b aircraft, equivalent to flying
Propulsion
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles play a crucial role across multiple sectors, particularly in tasks like surveillance and reconnaissance . As the demand for longer flight times and increased autonomy continues to grow, one of the primary challenges is ensuring a reliable and sufficient power supply for the onboard systems. Conventional battery power
Testing
* Zepher Flight Labs (ZFL), a Heven company, announced that its hydrogen fuel cell-powered Z1 successfully demonstrated a vertical takeoff at maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), followed by a continuous 11,000-foot climb to a density altitude (DA) of 12,000 feet during the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission phase. Part
BVLOS
On a scorching summer afternoon on a windswept airport tarmac in Eastern Oregon, an unusual aircraft became the center of bustling activity. Its shape was distinctive: squat and bulbous, almost egg-like, yet balanced by gracefully extended wings. It sat quietly amid a hive of ground crew members who hurried around
Propulsion
* H3 Dynamics, an aerospace hydrogen fuel cell systems developer and XSun, a global manufacturer of solar- electric unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are announcing a strategic partnership to develop world’s first solar-hydrogen-electric UAS. Both based in France, XSun and H3 Dynamics are starting their collaboration to develop a unique “tri-
Propulsion
* ZeroAvia has announced the UK Government has awarded the company and consortium partners a grant towards a £10.8m project to develop a novel liquid hydrogen management system. The project, co-funded through the ATI Programme, will culminate in integration of the lightweight fuel system into a Dornier 228 before a
Propulsion
The computer code that runs the MQ-9 Reaper will be overhauled in the next two years to test revolutionary new tools that would make its software 'much, much harder to hack.' A strong, lethal military demands cutting-edge and resilient software to power every weapon and support system our
Propulsion
* Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. and GE Aerospace have announced a formal teaming agreement to advance propulsion technologies for the next generation of affordable unmanned aerial systems and Collaborative Combat Aircraft-type (CCA-type) aircraft. Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos, said, “Kratos’ strategically important Teaming Agreement with GE Aerospace
Propulsion
A research group led by Takayuki Matsumuro, a researcher at the Wave Engineering Laboratory of the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in Japan, has developed a new technology for wirelessly transmitting power to drones in flight. This technology forms a special beam called an "air-core beam" *1