Business
HES Energy Systems, a Fuel Cell Systems developer from Singapore has formed an Alliance with three French Clean Energy and Aerospace Tech companies. Named FLY-HY, the group’s mission is to begin addressing the global market as a unified value chain, ranging from hydrogen refuelling systems to energy storage and
Commercial
A Chinese hybrid multirotor drone achieved 7.3 hours world record endurance. It was a Hexa multirotor with 44 lbs (20kg) all up weight powered by hybrid system and carried 2.8 gallon (10.5 liter). On January 19, 2018, a hybrid drone named 'Owling' took off at
Research
Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s chemistry and tactical electronic warfare divisions completed the first flight of the Ion Tiger unmanned air vehicle with a new hydrogen-powered fuel cell built in-house. The NRL team designed and built a custom fuel cell system capable of up to 5,
Propulsion
The pan-European Neva Aerospace consortium, which is developing heavy-duty drones, industrial and commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and vehicles (UAV) based on its patented distributed thrust concept, has released the first OEM electric turbofan (ETF) to the aerospace market. These ETFs are claimed to be between two and four times
Propulsion
SPH Engineering presents a ready-to-fly tethered drone system - AirMast. Compared to some conventional mast systems AirMast is easy and quickly deployable mean to bring up sensors in the sky, not requiring operators specific technical knowledge. AirMast consists of ground module with intelligent winch system and a drone with lightweight
Propulsion
The Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC-TINA) and Arcturus UAV have announced a joint partnership to develop a hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine capable of supporting the T-20 family of unmanned aircraft. Defense organizations face significant logistical, safety, and security challenges in the transportation and storage of large amounts of heavy fuel
Propulsion
Small drones are already effective weapons for urban warfare—when armed with miniature warheads, these stealthy spies can turn into lethal assassins. So far their biggest limitation is battery life, but Boeing's patent for a drone battle station sets out to overcome that. The aerospace giant's
Propulsion
With the advancing development of UAVs, muffler systems are moving increasingly into the focus of engine development. It doesn't matter here whether they are being used to increase performance or purely for sound-volume minimization. 3W-International GmbH recognized this development early on and began developing a series of in-house
Propulsion
H3 Dynamics has unveiled HYWINGS, a hand-launchable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capable of 10 hour flight durations and distances of up to 500km. At a total take off-weight of just 7kg, HYWINGS can cover larger areas of land faster, while removing the need for catapult launchers or runways typically required
Research
A drone designed to fly with one propeller has been developed at the Institute for Dynamics Systems and Control at ETH Zurich.While most flying machines have multiple moving parts - flaps, hinges, and ailerons, the Monospinner achieves controlled flight with just one propeller. "This is really to push
Propulsion
Everything that flies must eventually land. Unless, say, it’s an all-electric drone that can recharge while in flight. Researchers at Imperial College London have demonstrated a way to transfer electricity wireless to a flying drone. Even better: they did so building on a concept pioneered by Nikola Tesla.The
Propulsion
Progress is being made with AIE’s collaborative Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Project as a new breakthrough is made for next generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hybrid power systems. The aim of the ATI project is to work with four leading cross disciplinary SMEs in the UK to develop an