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WASHINGTON, – U.S. Naval Research Laboratory engineers recently demonstrated Hybrid Tiger, an electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with multi-day endurance flight capability, at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.
The team integrated technologies developed in prior NRL power and energy programs into a single UAV to achieve multi-day endurance with a Group 2 UAV. Group 2 UAVs are typically in the 21-55 pound weight class and normally operate below 3,500 feet above ground level at speeds less than 250 knots.
This was the first time Hybrid Tiger flew through a complete 24-hour period, its longest flight to date.
“Extrapolating the flight endurance of Hybrid Tiger from the recent flight data suggests it can reach the program goal flight endurance,” said Richard Stroman, Ph.D., a mechanical engineer from the NRL Chemistry Division. “The results validated our extensive simulation efforts, because the flight endurance is almost exactly what was predicted by our simulation.”