French Institution and Industry Partner Form UAS Research Center
A UAV during wind tunnel testing. Photo: Delair-Tech.
In Toulouse, France, Delair-Tech and the Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace SUPAERO, the schools’ aeronautics and space graduate program, have announced a partnership with MIDLELAB, an unmanned aerial systems research center, to implement new technologies such as fuel cells and solar cells to improve flight endurance.
“Cutting-edge techniques developed in our MIDLELAB laboratories will keep ISAE-SUPAERO research teams on the leading edge of excellence and contribute to further increase the performance of Delair-Tech mini-UAVs, which are already best in class in the field of compact mini-drone surveillance systems,” says Olivier Lesbre, head of ISAE-SUPAERO.
Under the scientific supervision of Prof. Jean-Marc Moschetta, the laboratory will push endurance research by optimizing aerodynamics using wind tunnels, chain-optimizing propulsion systems, exploiting environmental factors like wind currents, and integrating solar and fuel cell energy use.
“ISAE-SUPAERO is home to some of the great minds in aerospace and is an important training and testing ground for technological breakthroughs in all formats,” says Michael de Lagarde, CEO of Delair-Tech. “Our long-range, beyond-line-of-sight heritage and experience allows us to bring a lot to the table. We are excited to push the limits of endurance even further with these incredible new technologies.”
