US Navy foresees an uncrewed future for its surface and underwater fleet
The service has been conducting various procurement and development efforts to integrate unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into its inventory.
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.’
The service has been conducting various procurement and development efforts to integrate unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into its inventory.
Tekever has manufactured the AR3, AR4 and AR5 UAS with all systems sharing common electronics and software architecture, which has enabled the reuse of ground segment elements within the new ARX UAS.
As the dynamics of aerial combat rapidly evolve, Chinese scientists have engineered a sophisticated air separation drone model that can fragment into up to six drones, each capable of executing distinct battlefield roles and challenging the efficacy of current anti-drone defences such as the UK’s Dragonfire laser system.
Advancements in air defence technologies have begun to reshape aerial combat dynamics in the Middle East, as illustrated by recent events involving the Israeli Air Force and Hezbollah.
Both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war have been using UAS for effective low-cost attacks, as well as impactful web and social media footage. Thousands more have now been committed to Ukrainian forces.
The US Army has intentions to develop light, medium and heavy variants of the Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) as part of the branche’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle family.