First Aircraft Ever To Fly Solely On Fuel Cell Power

According to Reed Business Information, AeroVironment, the Californian research and development company, has started testing its fuel cell powered micro aircraft. The airplane is radio controlled, has a 380mm span wing, weighs 170 grams and its fuel cell produces 10W of power. As stated by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), this is the first air vehicle to fly entirely on fuel-cell power.

DARPA says fuel cell power offers the potential for long-endurance flight. Earlier last week, Boeing and Intelligent Energy announced that they are going to produce a prototype aircraft which will start manned test flights at the end of the year.

The needed hydrogen for AeroVironments’s micro plane is stored on the vehicle in dry pellets and released when combined with water, also carried on board. The hydrogen reacts with oxygen collected from the airflow over the wing to produce electricity. The fuel cell includes a metal mesh that forms the wing substructure. The company plans to equip the next version with a simple autopilot and a video camera payload.

FMI: www.darpa.mil