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. Continue reading
Category Archives: Aircraft Propulsion & Energy
Mufflers Made in Germany for UAV Engines
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 mufflers. Continue reading
10 Hour Flights with Fuel Cell Electric UAV
H3 Dynamics has unveiled HYWINGS, a hand-launchable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capable of 10 hour flight durations and distances of up to 500km. Continue reading
Mono-Propeller Drone
A drone designed to fly with one propeller has been developed at the Institute for Dynamics Systems and Control at ETH Zurich. Continue reading
Tech Inspired By Nikola Tesla Charges Drones In Mid-Air
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. Continue reading
ATI Project Update: New Hybrid Power for UAVs
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. Continue reading
Demo Shows Drone Flying Under Wireless Power
London-based electrical engineering researcher Dr. Samer Aldhaher recently posted a video demonstrating what could be the future of drone technology. The small drone you’re about to see has one distinguishing feature – it’s not carrying a battery. Continue reading
Safran signs MoU with Urban Aeronautics
Safran Helicopter Engines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Urban Aeronautics to study new market opportunities and address power system solutions to support the development of an entirely new platform family of internal rotor aircraft. The Cormorant (formerly AirMule) UAV demonstrator is already flying powered by an Arriel 1D driving two ducted-fans. Continue reading