Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is working with Yamaha Motor to research the use of hybrid power systems to extend the range of unmanned aerial vehicles.
MHI on 22 May says it has conducted a test flight of a hybrid-type medium-sized UAV, with a payload of up to 200kg (441lb).
The Nagoya-headquartered company is “leveraging the technologies it cultivated through aircraft development and manufacturing” to develop the UAV, while Yamaha is working to develop the power generating system for the UAV.
MHI had formerly developed what would have been Japan’s first homegrown regional jet – the SpaceJet – but plans were abandoned during the pandemic and following years of delays.
According to MHI and Yamaha, its current research, which builds on a 2024 agreement between both firms, will focus on using hybrid power systems to extend the range of the UAV.
“This joint research will confirm the feasibility of using a power generating unit to realise a medium-sized UAV with a cruising range of 200km (108nm) and a maximum payload of 200kg,” states MHI.
It also outlines several use cases for the UAVs.
“In the future, medium-sized UAVs are expected to be routinely used to transport relief supplies to isolated areas, which has been a challenge in an era of frequent disasters, as an alternative to trucks and ships to improve logistics efficiency on routes such as remote islands and mountainous areas where logistics volume is low, and to transport materials in mountainous areas that are difficult to access by car, such as for construction and repair work on transmission towers,” says the company.
