डुफोर एयरोस्पेस ने यूएएम ड्रोन की उपलब्धि हासिल की; श्रृंखला हाइब्रिड-इलेक्ट्रिक इंजन के साथ पहली उड़ान, वर्टिकल टेकऑफ़ से लेकर पूर्ण-फ़ॉरवर्ड फ़्लाइट और पीछे तक

TheSwiss drone pioneer proves the functionality of its innovative Aero2 large-scale drone platform

Dufour Aerospace, the pioneering Swiss drone manufacturer, today announced a major milestone: the completion of its first flight test campaign with a hybrid-electric system designed in-house for its Aero2 drone. The Aero2 flew several test flights in Zurich, with the hybrid system self-charging its batteries in flight. 

The news is significant as it completes Dufour’s vision of a hybrid-electric powertrain, with an innovative tilt-wing design, and autonomous flight. This is believed to be the first-ever successful flight of a large-scale serial hybrid-electric aircraft, transitioning from vertical takeoff to forward flight.

“Dufour Aerospace achieved a major milestone with these flights,” said Sascha Hardegger, CEO of Dufour Aerospace. “All of Dufour’s in-house developments — the Flight Control System and Control Software, Power Management System, and the integrated Powertrain — must work together seamlessly to achieve this.”

“The beauty of the Aero2 is mission efficiency and a simpler system for charging aircraft. Our customers do not need to plug in the Aero2 for hours to run their next mission. Recharging is accomplished in the air, not on the ground, enabling back-to-back missions. It can land, exchange the payload, and restart the next mission immediately.”

In take-off, the Aero2 is fully powered by high-performance batteries. Upon transition to forward flight, the Aero2 hybrid-electric system is engaged to produce electricity on board, which powers the electric motors and recharges the batteries. At present, the hybrid system uses conventional gasoline but is being readied for heavier fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel and kerosene. In all cases, its carbon footprint and operating costs are dramatically lower than helicopters or the conventionally fueled helicopter-type drones used today. 

“Dufour has proven the critical systems on the aircraft. It demonstrates that our aircraft will be mission-ready for all the use cases we envision,” Hardegger said. “Initially, we are focusing on the delivery of critical cargo such as medical goods or urgently needed spare parts, where we are seeing a lot of operators and end-users waiting for efficient transport solutions. Additionally, we are closely looking into supporting various remote-sensing applications.”

About Dufour Aerospace

ड्यूफोर एयरोस्पेस महत्वपूर्ण मिशनों के लिए ड्रोन बनाने में अग्रणी है। स्विटजरलैंड में स्थित, ड्यूफोर कार्गो परिवहन, रसद और सार्वजनिक सुरक्षा के लिए कुशल और टिकाऊ विमान विकसित और निर्माण करता है। एयरो2 ड्रोन में आज की उन्नत वायु गतिशीलता और मध्यम आकार के ड्रोन बाजार की आवश्यकताओं को पूरा करने के लिए वितरित इलेक्ट्रिक प्रणोदन और एक हाइब्रिड मॉड्यूल है।