Ion Tiger Hydrogen-Powered Unmanned Air Vehicle Stays Up Almost 24 Hours
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 11:56
in Physics & Chemistry
The Naval Research Laboratory's Ion Tiger has set an unofficial record for flight endurance by a hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle, staying out for 23 hours and 17 minutes. The test flight took place on October 9th through 10th at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The Ion Tiger fuel cell development system team is led by NRL and includes Protonex Technology Corporation, the University of Hawaii, and HyperComp Engineering. The electric fuel cell propulsion system onboard the Ion Tiger has the low noise and signature of a battery-powered UAV, while taking advantage of hydrogen, a high-energy fuel. Fuel cells create an electrical current when they convert hydrogen and oxygen into water, with only water and heat as byproducts. read more