In the United Kingdom, Wirth Research announced the world’s first hydrogen-powered, long endurance, vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial system. To allow the longest possible endurance with zero in-flight emissions, and reduced vibrations, this unique UAS will be powered by an advanced hybrid power system, featuring a hydrogen fuel cell as its primary energy source.
The complete hydrogen fuel cell storage, control and power system will be provided by HES of Singapore. HES Founder and CEO, Taras Wankewycz, said, “The VTOL UAS developed by Wirth Research and powered by HES technology breaks new ground in the field of small but increasingly capable aerial robotics. There is no equivalent aircraft in the world able to demonstrate this level of flight endurance.”
This UAS system can be adapted to carry and power a variety of sensors including stereo high-resolution gimbaled optical cameras, high-resolution infra-red sensors, LIDAR imagers and ground penetrating radar sensors.