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Fuel cell aids in UAV endurance record

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Protonex Technology Corp. set an unofficial endurance record of more than 23 hours of fuel-cell powered flight with the unmanned Ion Tiger.

Power systems company Protonex announced its advanced fuel cell system for unmanned aerial vehicles surpassed the longest previous small UAV flight record using any technology.

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The Ion Tiger UAV used a Protonex power system to increase the endurance capability for flights by more than seven times compared to advanced batteries.

The test was documented by the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington through a program sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.

"This impressive 23-hour record flight milestone represents yet another successful collaboration with the NRL and is a culmination of all of our combined efforts to date," said Paul Osenar, the chief technology officer for Protonex.

Protonex described the power system as a high performance, ultralight proton exchange system.

The company said it plans to continue work on the power source for military and commercial applications.

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