A World Breakthrough in UAV Propulsion

A World Breakthrough in UAV Propulsion

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A cooperation between Israel and Singapore has resulted in a breakthrough in powering unmanned air systems. “This will change the world of UAVs and opens many new paths for using them in many applications” an Israeli source said.

WanderB launch. Photo: BlueBird
WanderB launch. Photo: BlueBird

The first operational UAV to be powered by a fuel cells systems is the WanderB made by Israeli company BlueBird. This UAV has a record 10 hours endurance. The power kit was developed by BlueBird and Horizon from Singapore with support from the Singapore Israel Industrial R&D Foundation – SIIRD.

The UAV is automatically launched and is designed to carry payloads of up to 1.5Kg, including ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Triple sensor payloads (Day/IR/Laser) .

According to Ronen Nadir, president of Blue Bird , there are negotiations with potential customers. “The exceptionally long endurance, makes this UAV very unique and very attractive for many missions.”

Fuel cells, which convert energy from a chemical reaction into electricity, can provide far more power than lithium-ion batteries. Every fuel cell has two electrodes, one positive and one negative, called, respectively, the anode and cathode. The reactions that produce electricity take place at the electrodes.

Photo: BlueBird
Photo: BlueBird

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

Every fuel cell also has an electrolyte, which carries electrically charged particles from one electrode to the other, and a catalyst, which speeds the reactions at the electrodes.

Hydrogen is the basic fuel, but fuel cells also require oxygen. One great appeal of fuel cells is that they generate electricity with very little pollution – much of the hydrogen and oxygen used in generating electricity ultimately combine to form a harmless byproduct, namely water.

One detail of terminology: a single fuel cell generates a tiny amount of direct current (DC) electricity. In practice, many fuel cells are usually assembled into a stack. Cell or stack, the principles are the same.

Photo: BlueBird
Photo: BlueBird

The 10 hours endurance achieved by the Israeli developed UAV attracts interest from many potential users around the wiorld. Experts say that this is only the first step in a revolution that will enable UAV to fly for endurance levels previously seen as science-fiction.