Dronamics, the worlds first cargo drone airline, has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) to develop its Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) propulsion system for its Black Swan cargo drone.
The Black Swan can carry 350kg of cargo up to 2,500km and the proposed HFC propulsion system from CAeS is a half-scale version of its 250kw which is being developed to convert Britten-Norman Islander aircraft to Hydrogen power.
Included with the MoU is a letter of intent for Dronamics to purchase a “substantial number” of propulsion units from CAeS.
Chief Executive Officer of CAeS, Paul Hutton, said: “The selection as preferred supplier of hydrogen fuel-cell powerplants for the Dronamics Black Swan fleet is testament to the exceptional technology that our team has developed and also to our aircraft integration design capabilities. We have now demonstrated that we can adapt and integrate our modular hydrogen propulsion technology into different platforms, opening up much wider market opportunities to exploit further the CAeS gaseous HFC aircraft propulsion systems from 2026.”
Chief Executive Officer of Dronamics, Svilen Rangelov, added: “We are very excited to be working with CAeS on the adoption of hydrogen fuel-cell technology for our aircraft, having successfully completed the feasibility study. The prospect of running flights with their emissions-free propulsion system helps further solidify our position as a frontrunner in the cargo drone market.”
UK based CAeS is leading the way in the development of world-leading hydrogen propulsion system technology for aircraft and aims to deliver the world’s first, zero-emissions passenger aircraft solution by 2026 with the conversion to the Britten Norman Islander.
Be the first to comment