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Drones

Hydrogen-powered VTOL launches with 15-hour flight time

By Paul Ridden
September 23, 2019
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MMC UAV is claiming its Griflion H drone has a much longer range than others in the marketplace
MMC UAV
MMC UAV is claiming its Griflion H drone has a much longer range than others in the marketplace
MMC UAV

China's MMC UAV launched a new hydrogen-powered vertical take-off and landing drone – or hydrone - at InterGEO 2019 in Germany last week, that has a flight time of up to 15 hours.

The Griflion H VTOL is built around a proprietary hydrogen fuel battery that's reported to offer a 15-hour flight time without a payload, or 10 hours carrying 3 kg (6.6 lb) of cargo. It lifts off using two rotors mounted to each wing, and then moves forward courtesy of another rotor to the rear.

Developed for survey, mapping, rescue, security, and forest scouting missions, MMC UAV says that in mapping applications in particular – where aircraft can undertake a number of take-offs and landings during the same mission – the Griflion H outperforms other drones in the marketplace by a significant margin.

No further details on the new hydrone are available at this time.

Source: MMC UAV

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DronesHydrogen-poweredVTOL
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Paul Ridden
While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before hopping over to France for 10 years, where he started work for New Atlas in 2009. Now back in his native Blighty, he serves as Managing Editor in Europe.
5 comments
George Kafantaris
”15-hour flight time without a payload, or 10 hours carrying 3 kg (6.6 lb) of cargo. It lifts off using two rotors mounted to each wing, and then moves forward courtesy of another rotor to the rear.”
Impressive. The Pentagon should be interested in this. So should Russia and Iran. Maybe China and Japan. And let’s not forget Germany, France, the UK, Israel, Australia and Canada. Did I leave anybody out?
paul314
Is there at least some word on dimensions or weight?
Paul Muad'Dib
From what I gather from a few internet searches the wing span looks to be around two to three meters, which is roughly RC model airplane sized.
ei3io
That concept may be a compromise to keep the slice & dicer props inboard of the extremities clear of living systems moving around it,,, but having engine props as dead weight in the important cruise efficiency phase is not ideal even if it does remove motor/ wing/ fan/etc rotation cost and failure safety.
I think rotating wing/motor/fans will always have the best range if rotation mechanics are light weight and trouble-free.
yawood
I'm surprised that feathering the props doesn't result in them stopping longitudinally instead of transversally.
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