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
Saudi Arabia to Host World Economic Forum Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting: Building Common Ground and Reviving Growth on 22-23 April 202623.1.2026 17:29:00 EET | Press release
Saudi Arabia will host the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting: Building Common Ground and Reviving Growth in Jeddah on 22-23 April 2026, it was announced on the closing day of the 56th Annual Meeting of the Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123725881/en/ HE Faisal F. Alibrahim, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning, announces that the Kingdom will host the World Economic Forum Global Collaboration and Growth Meeting in Jeddah in April 2026 (Photo: AETOSWire) His Excellency Faisal F. Alibrahim, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning today confirmed the details for the regular high-level WEF meeting, which was announced at the 2025 WEF Annual Meeting. Calling for pragmatism and collaboration against a backdrop of geopolitical fragmentation, HE Alibrahim said “stability can’t be quickly built, and it can’t be bought”. “Stability need
Philip Morris International Urges FDA Advisory Committee to Recommend Authorizing ZYN as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product23.1.2026 16:15:00 EET | Press release
Experts from Philip Morris International (PMI) (NYSE: PM) yesterday presented scientific evidence to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) as part of the FDA’s process for a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) designation for their ZYN nicotine pouch products. This designation would allow PMI’s U.S. family of businesses to communicate to U.S. legal-aged, 21+ adult cigarette smokers that switching completely to ZYN reduces their risk of many smoking-related diseases and we look forward to a decision by FDA. "The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Product’s (CTP) mission is to make smoking-related disease and death a part of America’s past,” said Keagan Lenihan, Chief External Affairs Officer for PMI U.S. “Smoke-free products, like ZYN, play a critical role in helping CTP achieve this mission and provide adults who smoke with important information to guide their choices and a real opportunity to change. The full-day meeting on January
Business4Land Champions’ Council Launched at Davos to Spur Private Sector Action on Land and Drought23.1.2026 15:58:00 EET | Press release
TheUnited Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD) Secretariat and the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, today announced the official launch of the Business4Land (B4L) Champions’ Council at a high-level event hosted at InTent during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123993933/en/ The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat and the UNCCD COP16 Presidency launched the Business4Land (B4L) Champions’ Council at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Photo: AETOSWire) The B4L Champions’ Council brings together global CEOs and senior executives from across the agriculture, consulting, environmental services, fashion, food, pulp/paper. renewable energy, and technology sectors. It aims to drive private sector leadership in restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030—aligning business am
WEF26: Saudi Arabia Becoming ‘A Connector Economy’ as World Trade Evolves23.1.2026 15:47:00 EET | Press release
His Excellency Majid A. Alkassabi, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce, today at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos said the Kingdom stands to benefit from ongoing shifts in global supply chains. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123425621/en/ Amid shifting global trade dynamics, Saudi Arabia underscores its role as a stable connector economy linking markets across regions (Photo: AETOSWire) Speaking in a session titled ‘Many Shapes of Trade’, HE commented: “Trade today is definitely shifting from fair trade to a managed and rule-driven trade model. For us in Saudi Arabia, we have a strategic location, we have a lot of resources, we could become a bridge economy. We could become a connector economy where we can connect with Africa, with Europe, with Asia, becoming a logistic hub.” His Excellency Ahmed A. Alkhateeb, Minister of Tourism, in a session called ‘The New Geography of Travel: Elevating
DCX Liquid Cooling Systems Announces New 8MW Coolant Distribution Unit, Optimized for 45°C Warm-Water Cooling in Next-Gen NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI Deployments23.1.2026 15:18:00 EET | Press release
DCX Liquid Cooling Systems is proud to announce the second generation Facility Distribution Unit (FDU V2AT2). Designed to support the infrastructure shift driven by AI deployments at scale, new CDU supports 45°C warm-water cooling for NVIDIA’s NVL72 GB200 / GB300 Blackwell and Vera Rubin architectures. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123068139/en/ The Facility Coolant Distribution Unit—the new generation of liquid cooling for hyperscale data centers. FDU V2AT2 delivers up to 8.15MW of heat transfer capacity while providing record breaking flowrate, enabling 45°C warm-water operation—temperature level that can eliminate the need for chillers on the heat-rejection side in many deployments. This new cooling system has also built in most capable heat exchanger in the industry, which further enables heat reuse and chillerless heat transfer. “As the datacenter industry transitions to AI factories, operators need
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