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Small UAV Again Surpasses Record Flight Time Using Protonex Fuel Cell
Southborough MA (SPX) Mar 13, 2008 Protonex Technology announced that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and development partner AeroVironment have documented yet another successful, record flight on a small, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) utilizing a highly advanced fuel cell system from Protonex. AeroVironment's "Puma" UAV system broke its previous flight record of over seven hours and flew continuously for over nine hours, powered by the latest generation of Protonex' Pulse UAV power system. The 9+ hour duration of the Puma flight using Protonex fuel cell power far surpasses the longest previous Puma flight achieved by AeroVironment using any technology. By incorporating the Protonex power system, the Puma was able to demonstrate three to four times the endurance capability of its standard batteries. The Pulse UAV system used in the Puma demonstration is a high performance, ultralight fuel cell system, coupling fuel cell technology that can achieve 1,000 watts per kilogram with an advanced chemical hydride fueling technology developed by Millennium Cell to increase energy density. With the successful completion of this major milestone, Protonex is planning to focus on transitioning this advanced power source into small UAV products with specific payloads and mission requirements for both military and commercial applications. The endurance capabilities proven in this program were previously achievable only with larger scale, more costly UAV platforms. Now, it's expected that new missions such as surveillance, search and rescue, chemical-biological monitoring, and other long-endurance specialty missions can be achieved by smaller, more cost-effective UAV platforms that incorporate Protonex' advanced power systems. "Increased endurance and payload capacity are critical capabilities that are not feasible with current battery technology being used in small unmanned aerial vehicles today," stated Dr. Paul Osenar, Chief Technology Officer, Protonex. "The final, successful extended duration capability demonstrated through this program with AFRL and AeroVironment yields significant opportunity for Protonex to enable new missions with small UAVs that are faster to deploy at considerably less cost for a wide range of military and commercial applications." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links UAV News - Suppliers and Technology
Global Hawk Marks 10-Year Anniversary
Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Mar 07, 2008A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle landed after an eight-hour mission Feb. 28 that marked 10 years since base officials witnessed its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base. On that first flight, the aircraft flew for one hour at an altitude of 32,000 feet, and now the Global Hawk has logged more than 20,000 flight hours including 15,000 hours flown in support of the war on terrorism. |
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