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The Australian federal government has provided $1.35 million towards the development of an all-day solar-powered fixed-wing drone.
The grant aims to enable a Pegasus joint development project between V-TOL Aerospace, Li-S Energy, and Halocell to develop a drone that integrates the next-generation batteries of Li-S and Halocell’s advanced solar cells into a “dawn to dusk” platform.
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“This is an exciting opportunity for Li-S Energy, working with our partners V-TOL Aerospace and Halocell, to demonstrate how our advanced, lightweight lithium sulfur and lithium metal batteries can extend UAV flight times and mission capability,” Li-S Energy chief executive officer Lee Finniear said.
V-TOL believes the project will directly contribute to the advancement of long-range and long-duration beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities, especially for ISR and survey markets.
V-TOL Aerospace managing director Mark Xavier said the grant was a major success of foresight from the Commonwealth that will open the doors to a wide range of possibilities in drone technologies.
“Winning this grant is a significant acknowledgement by government that the work V-TOL, Li-S Energy, and Halocell are conducting is of national importance,” he said.
“This exciting opportunity will enable our sovereign technology collaboration to design, develop, and manufacture a family of world-leading energy sustainable drones.”
Earlier this year, defence industry companies supplied their best new-generation drone prototypes for demonstration as part of a strategic capabilities accelerator challenge in April.
Aerial drones developed by Australian companies were showcased as part of a federal government initiative aimed at supporting innovation and delivering capabilities for the Australian Defence Force.
Drones were assessed on their ability for rapid production at scale and potential use by Defence and the Commonwealth.
