USN flew Group 2 UAV for 24 hours using solar and hydrogen energy

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has demonstrated that its electric unmanned aerial vehicle dubbed Hybrid Tiger can stay airborne for 24 hours using multiple power sources.

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory engineers demonstrate Hybrid Tiger, an electric unmanned aerial vehicle with multi-day endurance flight capability at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, Nov. 18. This was the first time Hybrid Tiger flew through a complete diurnal cycle, a 24-hour period of day and night, and its longest flight to date.

U.S. Navy photo by Jonathan Steffen

The test was carried out at Aberdeen Proving Grounds on Nov. 18.

“The flight was effectively a performance test in worst-case conditions: temperatures falling below zero degrees Celsius, winds gusting to 20 knots, and relatively little solar energy as we approached the solar solstice Dec. 21,” Richard Stroman, one of engineers involved in the testing, said.

Daytime power come from solar panels integrated onto the wings and high-pressure hydrogen fuel tank and fuel cell system provides nighttime power.

The drone also had algorithms in its flight control software to take advantage of thermals to gain altitude.

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