Objective
Small, long endurance electric Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAVs) is the key enabling technology missing in the emerging market for airborne border surveillance and perimeter control, environmental monitoring and scientific missions etc. Currently, such missions are conducted by manned airplanes, helicopters or large gasoline propelled UAVs, all of which imply high acquisition and maintenance costs, and require takeoff and landing infrastructure. An electric, fixed-wing UAV, less than 3 kg, capable of flying up to 24 hours using a readily available fuel will revolutionize the UAV sector, and enable the proliferation of such systems. Small, long endurance UAV system could perform missions previously only possible with airplanes, helicopters and large UAVs, but at a fraction of the cost, and with much higher mission flexibility and availability. The key performance parameters of these UAV systems are: low weight [no need for take-off and landing infrastructure], electric propulsion [robustness, energy efficient and low noise signature], and a fuel-cell power system [long endurance].
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
9530 Stovring
Denmark
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.