Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Bird Eye 650 unmanned aerial system (UAS) has been successfully fitted with the Horizon Energy Systems (HES) Aeropak fuel cell power system.

The fuel cell system allows the IAI mini-UAS to achieve six hours of flight, a more than two-fold improvement on flights powered by lithium batteries.

The Aeropak is a hydrogen proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system developed by HES that provides quiet electric propulsion.

Its energy source comes in the form of portable and hot-swappable chemical fuel cartridges.