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One of the disadvantages of drones is their low autonomy. The main problem is that to increase the autonomy, it is necessary to increase the quantity of gasoline or the size of the battery, which weighs down the device and reduces the gains. Some manufacturers have circumvented the obstacle by replacing, for example, the rotors by a balloon. Autonomy is thus exceptional, but the device is much less versatile.
Lockheed Martin continues to work on quadcopter dronesand succeeded in setting a new world record for a group 2 aircraft according to the classification of the United States Department of Defense, i.e. from 5 to 25 kilograms. His drone managed to fly for 39 hours, 17 minutes and 7 seconds.
A record reached thanks to an additional propane tank
To reach this new record, the manufacturer modified a drone Stalker XV. Basically, it has an autonomy of 8 hours with a Fuel cell oxide solid that uses propane as fuel. The device weighs about 20 kilograms and can reach aspeed of 93 km/h and an altitude of 3,658 meters.
In this case, Lockheed Martin added a small propane tank to its wing. The manufacturer has also optimized the device for endurance but does not give details on the modifications made. The firm has requested certification of the record from the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI).
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