What's next for the Pentagon after the Replicator programme?
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Intelligent Energy’s 650W Fuel Cell Power Module (FCPM) was used by MetaVista to demonstrate the endurance capability of its multi-copter UAS, the company announced on 31 January.
Fuel cells can offer significantly longer flight times for civil and military UAS when compared to traditional batteries.
For the flight test, which lasted just under 11 hours, MetaVista used 390g of liquid hydrogen in a six-litre cylinder. This specially designed liquid hydrogen system, coupled with Intelligent Energy’s 650W FCPM system, provided 1865Wh/kg energy density.The test flight was part of work that aims to significantly increase flight time for commercial UAV operators.
David Woolhouse, CEO at Intelligent Energy, said: ‘We have been focussed for some time on developing lightweight, robust fuel cell power modules for UAVs that can offer commercial users something that batteries simply cannot – significantly longer flight time.
‘We are pleased to have worked with MetaVista on this test flight, which has demonstrated that liquid hydrogen can increase that flight time further still when compared to compressed hydrogen – three times longer! This is a real game changer for commercial users who need longer in the air. We look forward to seeing MetaVista develop their product commercially over the coming months.’
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.