South Korean aerospace manufacturer and defense company, LIG Nex1 has announced that it has been selected by the Korean government to develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered cargo drone that can carry a load of up to 200 kg and fly automatically and remotely.
The company was chosen for a national R&D project sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The project is designed to develop a giant cargo transport drone that uses hydrogen fuel cells as a power source. LIG Nex1 is expected to establish validation infrastructure in cooperation with local governments and push for international standardization of its technology.
The five-year project will cost 44.3 billion won with 23 billion won coming from the central government and eight billion won from local governments.
Although several types of hydrogen fuel cell-based drones have been developed in Korea, this will mark the first time that a transport drone capable of carrying up to 200 kg will be developed with a hydrogen fuel cell as a power source.
The drone for heavy payloads is likely to be used as air taxis and military transport drones for the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps after its development is completed in 2025.
Source: Business Korea