UAV flies using fuel-cell system
A small unmanned aerial vehicle recently completed 23 hours of uninterrupted flight using an advanced fuel-cell system.
A small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recently completed 23 hours of uninterrupted flight using an advanced fuel-cell system.
The US-based developer of the system, Protonex Technology, claims that the flight of the Ion Tiger UAV breaks an unofficial endurance record for fuel-cell-powered flight.
The flight was documented by the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) through a programme sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
It is claimed that the 23-hour-plus duration of the Ion Tiger flight surpasses all previous small UAV flights using any technology.
The Protonex power system is said to have given the Ion Tiger seven times the endurance capability of advanced batteries.
The system used in the Ion Tiger demonstration is an ultra-light proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell system, coupling stack technology that can reportedly achieve 1,000W/kg with a specially designed balance of plant components.
Following this recent demonstration, Protonex is planning to transition its systems into small UAV products for both military and civilian applications.
Register now to continue reading
Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.
Benefits of registering
-
In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends
-
Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year
-
Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox
Experts speculate over cause of Iberian power outages
The EU and UK will be moving towards using Grid Forming inverters with Energy Storage that has an inherent ability to act as a source of Infinite...