Hybrid drives are familiar to most people from the automotive area where they’ve been used for years in private and community vehicles. However the hybrid drive is also moving ever more prominently into the focus of unmanned aviation where it brings interesting benefits for commercial usage. Conventional combustion engines play a decisive role here. Continue reading
Category Archives: Aircraft Propulsion & Energy
Solid Hydrogen Powered UAV Completes First Flight
Cella Energy’s hydrogen-fuelled battery replacement system has successfully powered an unmanned aerial vehicle, replacing lithium-ion batteries with a safer and higher performance technology based on hydrogen storage.
Fuel Cell Quadcopter Flies 2 Hours with 4K Video
EnergyOr Technologies Inc., a supplier of advanced PEM fuel cell systems for aerospace applications, has demonstrated the world’s longest multi-rotor drone flight in real-world operating conditions. On December 16th , 2015, EnergyOr’s H2Quad 400 flew for over two hours while recording 4K video, using a 3-axis stabilizing gimbal to control the camera. Continue reading
New Brushless Motor for Heavy Lift Drones
KDE Direct, a provider of motors and electronics for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), has announced the release of its new flagship technology product, the 8218XF-120 (HE) Multi-Rotor Brushless Motor. Specifically designed for commercial and industrial applications, the 8218XF-120 has the strength and technology necessary for heavy lift operations. Continue reading
Variable Vectoring Technique for Propeller-Powered UAVs
The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) designed for plateau missions are usually installed with high span chord ratio wings, which provides more lifting force at a relatively low airspeed. The UAVs employ high span chord ratio wings, however, tend to lose their manoeuvrability.
New 15hp UAV Engine from Hirth Motors
Goebler-Hirthmotoren GmbH & Co. KG (Hirth Motors) has launched a new 15hp 4201 engine with advanced technology to create a new consumer off the shelf (COTS) propulsion system which meets the demanding requirements of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market. Continue reading
Russian Invents Lightweight UAV Motor
Russian engineer Andrey Semyonov of Perm invented a lightweight, powerful engine designed originally for unmanned aerial vehicles. Next, he plans to tap into the multi-billion dollar small engine market, which is especially lucrative in places like India. Continue reading
Intelligent Energy Hydrogen Fuel Cells for UAS
Intelligent Energy, the energy technology company, announced that it has developed a prototype of a hydrogen fuel cell powered range extender for drones. The range extender offers longer flight time and fast re-fuel capabilities, addressing two of the biggest challenges for manufacturers of battery-powered drones.