HAPSMobile Inc., a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. and minority-owned by AeroVironment, Inc., has announced the fourth successful test flight of its “Sunglider” solar-powered high-altitude platform system (HAPS). The flight took place on July 23, 2020 (PT) at Spaceport America (“SpA”) in New Mexico. Continue reading
Category Archives: Aircraft Propulsion & Energy
World’s First 5-Minute Charge of a Commercial Drone
Twelve months ago, ultra-fast charging (UFC) pioneer, StoreDot, achieved a world first with its partner BP by successfully fully-charging a two-wheeled electric vehicle in just 5 minutes. Today, the company is launching its award-winning UFC technology for the drone industry, having achieved its mission of fully-charging a commercial drone in five minutes – another world first. Continue reading
Wireless Charging Keeps Drones Flying
There are large companies with big plans to offer services based on drone fleets, and they are all eager to get beyond a significant operating challenge: the flight time of commercial drones is constrained by limited battery capacity. One way to address the issue is with more efficient and flexible re-charging solutions. Continue reading
US Army Tests French Danielson Aircraft Engine for UAS
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering – Global Capability Programs Office, Foreign Comparative Testing Program – recently partnered with the U.S. Army Futures Command to test and evaluate a foreign technology for use in UAS. Continue reading
WiBotic Secures $5.7M Series A Financing Round
WiBotic, a Seattle company that specializes in advanced wireless charging and power optimization solutions for the rapidly expanding ecosystem of aerial, mobile and marine robots, announced that it has secured $5.7 million in Series A funding. Investors include Junson Capital, SV Tech Ventures, Rolling Bay Ventures, Aves Capital, The W Fund and WRF Capital, amongst others. Continue reading
US Air Force to Test Fighter Drone Against Human Pilot
Air Force researchers are designing an autonomous aircraft that can take down a manned plane in air-to-air combat, with the goal of pitting the two against each other in July 2021. Continue reading
ePropelled Signs UAV Propulsion Tech as Distributor
ePropelled, a supplier of magnetic engineering technology for electro-magnetic motors, announced that it has signed an agreement to bring UAV Propulsion Tech on as a distributor of their electric motors to market its products to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) / Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry. Continue reading
Pipistrel Slows Uber eVTOL Work for Other Projects
Electric aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel is advancing plans for a pair of new cargo aircraft and a 19-seat regional airliner. The Slovenian company intends to focus on these new developments more urgently than on its plans for the Pipistrel 801 eVTOL, which has been shortlisted by rideshare group Uber for its planned Uber Air urban air mobility product. Continue reading