ISAE-SUPAERO and H3 Dynamics Develop a Zero-emission Pilotless Aircraft to Cross the Atlantic Ocean
ISAE-SUPAERO:
Extracting energy for ultra-long range flights
Since the pioneering work of Lord Rayleigh in 1883, it has been observed that some birds such as Albatrosses can achieve outstanding flight durations and ranges by using wind gradients over flat surfaces. More recently, two Ph.D. programs conducted at ISAE-SUPAERO have provided new insights into the physical mechanism which consists of extracting energy from wind gradients with the objective of transferring the strategy onto fixed-wing drones. A potential range gain of 40% for a given drone has been identified and this can be achieved by applying the flight strategies inspired from Albatrosses and other natural flyers.
The ambition of the ‘Drone Mermoz’ project is to combine different sources of energy in order to achieve a long-range flight with a 100% electrically powered drone. The challenge will consist of following the historical route taken by Jean Mermoz in 1930 between Dakar (Senegal) and Natal (Brazil). The total distance is about 3000 kilometers which proves impossible with a conventional battery-based electric drone.
The key technology to achieving such a long-range flight is based on fuel cells supplied by H3 Dynamics. Because fuel cells produce electricity from Hydrogen and only reject water into the atmosphere, Drone Mermoz will be a collaborative effort between H3 Dynamics and ISAE-SUPAERO to design, manufacture and fly the first 100% green drone to achieve such long distances. Using the best aircraft design strategies available, ISAE-SUPAERO will endeavour to design an optimized drone with a total mass of less than 25 kg to make an attempt at the record in 2021.
ISAE-SUPAERO’s commitment towards sustainable development
The ‘Drone Mermoz’ initiative is in line with ISAE-SUPAERO’s investment in innovative aeronautical and space technologies in a sustainable development perspective.
ISAE-SUPAERO is well aware of the environmental issues such as climate change and energy transition. It has embarked on a mission to raise awareness and the direction of research at ISAE-SUPAERO puts in place environment-conscious research programs thanks to technological innovations and eco-design of cleaner aircrafts.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201123005792/en/
Contact information
Leïla Colaud
leila.c@oxygen-rp.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
U.S. Original Equipment Automotive Industry Must Transform and Collaborate for Future Resilience and Relevance Finds Joint Research by Arthur D. Little and MEMA OE Suppliers22.11.2025 05:20:00 EET | Press release
At a time of unprecedented volatility, the U.S. original equipment (OE) automotive industry is at an inflection point. Building resilience and driving reshoring requires concerted actions from policymakers, original equipment manufacturers and suppliers. This is the key message from Turbocharging US Automotive Manufacturing Competitiveness, an in-depth Arthur D. Little (ADL) landmark study, carried out in conjunction with industry body MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers. The study draws on research from over 100 global OE automotive suppliers with major U.S. presence and more than 30 interviews with C-suite executives of leading global OE automotive suppliers. Based on ADL analysis, the research provides clear recommendations for transforming the industry to strengthen supply chain resilience and underpin national competitiveness and global relevance. High import dependence exposes the U.S. OE automotive supply chain to cost volatility and geopolitical risk. Current reshoring efforts, d
AI Takes Out the Trash: Largest U.S. Recycling Project to Extend Landfill Life for Virginia Residents21.11.2025 14:30:00 EET | Press release
The Southeastern Public Service Authority of Virginia (“SPSA”), the regional waste authority for South Hampton Roads, has signed a 20-year contract with Commonwealth Sortation LLC, an affiliate of AMP Robotics Corporation (together, “AMP”), to provide solid waste processing services for SPSA’s eight member communities and their 1.2 million residents. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120330758/en/ Building on a nearly two-year pilot project in Portsmouth—which featured an AMP ONE™ system capable of processing up to 150 tons of locally sourced municipal solid waste (“MSW”) per day—AMP will now scale its technology region-wide. Under this long-term partnership, which will facilitate the largest recycling project in the country, AMP will deploy additional MSW sortation lines and an organics management system capable of processing 540,000 tons annually to divert half of the waste SPSA brings to AMP facilities. AM
RSA Recognized for the Second Consecutive Year in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Access Management21.11.2025 14:00:00 EET | Press release
RSA, the security-first identity leader, today announced that RSA® ID Plus has been recognized for the second year in a row in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Access Management. “The RSA Access Management strategy has never been about being everything to everyone,” said Greg Nelson, RSA CEO. “We specialize in protecting organizations where risk tolerance is at its lowest and security requirements are at their highest. Our focus is intentional: providing security-first access management that supports compliance, ensures resilience, and delivers confidence at scale.” “RSA specializes in the workforce access management use cases where security, compliance, and operational resilience are non-negotiables,” said Jim Taylor, RSA President, Chief Product and Strategy Officer. “Our product development strategy will continue to emphasize the key qualities that highly regulated industries prioritize, including user experience, strong support for workforce management, and intelligent posture mana
NIQ and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) Collaborate to Measure Reach and Impact of Cross-Platform Ad Campaigns in Italy21.11.2025 10:00:00 EET | Press release
NIQ and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) have announced a new collaboration to study the effectiveness of cross-platform advertising across linear TV and Amazon Ads inventory in Italy. Through the collaboration advertisers and agencies will gain actionable insights into the relative performance of ad placements across digital, linear TV and streaming environments, including how each contributes to incremental reach and influences product purchases on Amazon’s ecommerce platforms. The insights are made possible by using high-quality data from Sinottica®—a well-established single-source consumer panel in Italy owned by NIQ—with data from Amazon Marketing Cloud. Specifically, the research will leverage Sinottica’s linear TV data alongside several Amazon inventory sources, including Amazon DSP, Sponsored Ads (Products, Brands, Display), and Streaming TV (Prime Video, Twitch, Fire TV). This approach will enable a deeper understanding of how ad exposure across digital and TV channels translates
Ahead of Holiday Season, Visa Identifies Five Transformative Forces Reshaping Global Payment Security20.11.2025 20:50:00 EET | Press release
To celebrate International Fraud Awareness Week, Visa (NYSE: V) today released its Fall 2025 Biannual Threats Report, revealing five forces that are transforming the global payments security landscape. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120412198/en/ The report, produced by Visa's Payment Ecosystem Risk and Control (PERC) team, draws on intelligence from Visa's global network to identify how criminal operations are evolving with unprecedented speed, scale, and sophistication. "The payments ecosystem is experiencing a paradigm shift in how fraud operates," said Paul Fabara, Chief Risk and Client Services Officer at Visa. "Criminals are no longer working as opportunistic individuals-- they're operating like tech startups, building reusable infrastructure and deploying systematic, industrial-scale operations that challenge conventional defenses. Understanding these evolving forces is critical for the entire ecosy
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom