US Air Force Research Laboratory is to fund fuel cell specialist Protonex Technology to increase the power and energy density of its ProCore UAV propulsion system to extend the endurance of small unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).
Southborough, Massachussetts-based Protonex hopes to deliver a fuel cell system with up to four times the available energy of batteries with the same dimensions and weight.
The goal of flights up to 10h is beyond the capability of current battery technology, says Protonex. An Aerovironment Puma small UAV has flown for nearly 5h powered by a hybrid ProCore fuel-cell and battery system, almost doubling its endurance with the standard battery-powered propulsion.
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Source: Flight International
