Pipistrel reports the successful first hover flight of the Nuuva V300, a long-range, large-capacity hybrid-electric VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) unmanned aircraft.
This milestone marks an advancement in the development of advanced, sustainable, and versatile unmanned aerial systems (UAS), according to officials with Textron eAviation, which owns Pipistrel.
The Nuuva V300 is designed to carry a 600-pound payload over a range of up to 300 nautical miles and is capable of operating from paved or unimproved surfaces, according to company officials.
The Nuuva V300 is equipped with a zero-emission electric vertical takeoff powertrain and a separate cruise propulsion system, officials added.
The Nuuva V300 is remotely monitored by an operator at a ground control station, developed in cooperation with Textron Systems.
The aircraft, which is equipped with automatic Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight capabilities, will transition from vertical to forward flight on its wings and follow the most recent flight plan until landing, company officials explained. The first vehicle is powered by a fly-by-wire, triple-redundant flight control system supplied by Honeywell, they added.
To support the continued expansion of the aircraft’s flight envelope, a second Nuuva V300 will join the flight program in 2025.
For more information: Pipistrel-Aircraft.com, e-aviation.com
“The Nuuva V300 is equipped with a zero-emission electric vertical takeoff powertrain”
There is really no such thing as “zero-emission”! This is the same lie as EV car manufacturers make!
This is a hybrid aircraft. It uses the E-motors to lift off, and the ice engine to power the pusher prop for forward flight.
So, this aircraft may actually be useful…if the remote, fly-by-wire system is reliable.?
Maybe it will be able to recharge the batteries while in flight ?
Just another pie in the sky waste of money. The internal combustion pusher engine no doubt has an FADC controller but NO, it will not have the capacity to recharge the electric motors. The last thing in the world we should EVER want are so called autonomous short haul freight aircraft cluttering airspace. Just a sucker investment swindle.
Exactly!! Couldn’t have said it better.
Maybe it can recharge the BATTERY.?
[ What’s a few kilowatts among friends ? ]
The twin aft nacelles do give it a Star Trek feel but the decision to put all those forward rotors down low where they will be a) at high FOD damage risk b) a high amputation risk for ground workers and c) just plain in the way of cargo movement, will need some explaining.