ISAE-SUPAERO and H3 Dynamics Develop a Zero-emission Pilotless Aircraft to Cross the Atlantic Ocean
23.11.2020 14:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
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
Lenovo Enables One-Week Deployment of Production-Ready Agentic AI to Transform Enterprise Workflows12.5.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Lenovo is enabling enterprises to deploy production-ready, agentic AI solutions in as little as one week1, eliminating the long development cycles that typically delay AI from reaching production, while maintaining enterprise-grade security, governance, and control. This is not theoretical, independent analysis from Signal65 confirms these results in real-world deployments. Lenovo’s Knowledge Super Agent reduced time spent on knowledge-related tasks by 30%, saving up to 120 hours per employee annually. In multiple deployments, organizations reached production up to 24× faster than with custom-built approaches, demonstrating how faster, secure deployment translates directly into faster business outcomes. These results reflect faster deployment and more efficient AI utilization, where each interaction delivers measurable business value. Delivered through the Lenovo AI Library as part of Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage™, this approach allows organizations to move directly from pilot to operati
Nikkiso Signs Agreement With Maran Tankers Management to Provide Aftermarket Service Support12.5.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Nikkiso Clean Energy & Industrial Gases Group (Nikkiso CE&IG) has announced today that it has signed a long-term service agreement with oil tanker shipping firm Maran Tankers Management Inc. Under the five-year agreement, Nikkiso CE&IG will deliver comprehensive global aftermarket support for Maran Tankers’ high pressure pumps, including scheduled cold end valve repairs at defined intervals. To guarantee minimal turnaround time, Nikkiso CE&IG will maintain critical inventory across its Marine Hubs worldwide, enabling cold ends to be received by vessels within days rather than the industry’s average of months. Nikkiso CE&IG will also provide technical guidance to Maran Tankers and carry out extended overhauls during scheduled dry-docking periods. Sean Fanniff, President of Nikkiso CE&IG’s Cryogenic Services Business Unit, said: “With Marine Hubs across Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the US, and China, we can provide our clients with a coordinated global approach and seamless p
Introducing Cognite Flows™: The First Fully Integrated, AI-Native Industrial Experience that Accelerates Customer Value12.5.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Cognite, the global leader in Industrial AI, today announced Cognite Flows™, a new standard for industrial experiences that fundamentally redefines how teams engage with AI, apps, and data to address operational challenges. Designed to optimize the daily workflows of frontline teams, Cognite Flows puts everything they need—AI-driven insights and real-time data from multiple apps across every corner of the company—into an easily customized, single-screen workspace. For the first time in an industrial setting, software will adapt to the user, rather than the user needing to adapt to the software. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260512315975/en/ Introducing Cognite Flows™: The First Fully Integrated, AI-Native Industrial Experience that Accelerates Customer Value Cognite Flows is the action layer of the Cognite platform, empowering teams to build, scale, and use production-ready workflows 100x faster through adap
Mixpanel Introduces Mixpanel AI, Delivering Always-On Product Intelligence12.5.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Mixpanel, a global leader in product intelligence and analytics, today introduced Mixpanel AI — the always-on product intelligence system that helps teams ship faster and smarter by understanding how people use their products and what to do next. Unlike query-based analytics assistants, Mixpanel AI monitors your product continuously and surfaces insights and issues before teams think to ask, combining specialized AI agents, a business-aware Context Engine, and native integrations with the tools teams already use. Built on 17 years of product analytics infrastructure and trusted by more than 29,000 customers, Mixpanel AI turns product data into proactive, explainable intelligence that teams can act on — with the business context to make every answer relevant and the verified data foundation to make every answer trustworthy. “At Mixpanel we’re building autonomous product intelligence — always on to match the continuous pace of shipping today, and intelligent because it understands the co
MetLife and Global Citizen Launch “Footwork for Futures” Social Media Challenge to Help Expand Access to Education and Sports12.5.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Today, MetLife and Global Citizen announced Footwork for Futures, a global soccer-themed social media challenge that supports children’s access to quality education and sports to foster more confident and resilient communities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511913741/en/ Footwork for Futures invites people to share a short video of themselves juggling – or attempting to juggle – a soccer ball on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, or Facebook and include the hashtag #FootworkForFutures, or by submitting a video through the Global Citizen app. For each eligible video submission, MetLife will donate $5 to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, up to $100,000, to help support access to quality education and sports for children through grants to community-based organizations around the world. This social campaign builds upon MetLife Foundation’s $9 million contribution as a founding donor of the FIFA Global Citi
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