Unmanned aerial vehicles fly 9 hours in a row

The variant of the AeroVironment's manual-launching aerial (UAS) system, Puma AE, has been flying for more than 9 hours continuously. It flew a total of 9 hours 11 minutes, 2 hours longer than the standard Puma AE battery life, and significantly longer than comparable competitors.

The Puma AE uses solar panels that feature the ultra-thin Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) solar panels manufactured by Alta Devices. According to Roy Minson, vice president of AeroVironment, GaAs photovoltaic panels generate enough power for long-haul flights, while increasing negligible weight for aircrafts.

Photo: defenseindustrydaily.com

They use solar energy to prolong battery life and thus increase flight times compared to Puma AEs that do not use 2 to 3 hours more battery power.

Although the Puma AE has been used by the US military in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance since 2008, the US Aerospace Administration recently allowed the unmanned aerial vehicle system Existing commercial duties in July last, flight marking a new record is made.

The approval of the 'limit rating' was first approved for the unmanned aircraft system and paved the way for commercial missions in US airspace such as oil spill monitoring and ocean surveillance. AeroVironment hopes that Puma AE will be deployed in the Arctic Circle this year to carry out these activities.

Puma AE solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles are still in the research and development phase, but AeroVironment hopes to launch the official version early next year.