Li-S Energy, V-TOL Aerospace and Halocell have signed a three-way collaboration agreement to develop and test Australian-made Low & High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones.
The partners aim to leverage the innovations of each company in battery technology, aerial drone design and solar cell integration to build a drone capable of flying in the stratosphere at an altitude of up to 21 km for weeks at a time.
“We are bringing together three innovative Australian companies to build autonomous drones with wide-ranging capabilities," said Dr Lee Finniear, Li-S Energy Chief Executive Officer.
"This allows us to not only demonstrate the benefits of Li-S Energy cells in practical high-altitude aircraft, but potentially build a new sovereign capability for the Australian aviation industry.”
The project will utilise lightweight lithium sulfur battery cells produced at Li-S Energy’s new $10 million production facility at Geelong, which is due to be operational before the end of the year.
“All three partners are at the cutting edge of their respective technologies, and the combination of all three offers some exciting opportunities to test the limits of what is currently possible,” said Mark Xavier, V-TOL Aerospace Managing Director.
“The V-TOL launch product, Pegasus I, will offer a small fixed-wing long-range platform to conduct hi-resolution surveys of linear infrastructure and broad acre farming. The larger Pegasus II aircraft will be developed to provide a low-cost high altitude multi-purpose capability.”
The third partner in the collaboration, Wagga-based Halocell, is focused on commercialising Perovskite Solar Cells (PSC) to maximise energy harvesting efficiency. The integration of these cells into the drone's structure will allow the drone to harness solar energy during day flight, supplementing the battery and extending the aircraft's range.
Modelling has predicted that the combination of the three technology platforms could deliver a drone with up to six times the flight time of current small-fixed wing drone aircraft.