Powering Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
EaglePicher supplies field-proven UAV batteries for a number of military applications. We have the ability to develop products across a broad range of chemistries, allowing us to meet a wide variety of application requirements.
EaglePicher pioneered lithium-ion battery system applications in UAVs with the RQ-4 Global Hawk and the Aurora Excalibur VTOL airframes. We achieved another first when we supplied lithium-ion batteries for the Northrop Grumman X-47B (UCAS) demonstrator, which became the first unmanned vehicle to operate successfully from the deck of an aircraft carrier.
EaglePicher’s LCF-136 based Li/CFx-MnO2 non-rechargeable batteries are ideally suited for single-use UAV missions where low weight is critical, extended run time is essential, in-flight recharge is not required, and long shelf-life and no field maintenance is highly beneficial. Our LCF-136 Li/CFx-MnO2 cell offers an excellent balance of energy and power. These non-rechargeable batteries require significantly lower maintenance than rechargeable (secondary) batteries. This plug-and-play power source requires no special storage or recharge infrastructure and maintenance.
EaglePicher is aggressively pursuing the loitering munitions UAV market and has developed a wind-tunnel to quantify the heat-dissipative needs for the cell pack to support various unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms. Our ability to conduct design integration of the LCF-136 cell pack into the fuselage of specific platforms allows optimization of the thermal interfaces necessary to support maximum power output and capacity utilization. These pack deliver superior performance allowing more payload over greater distances. They are an idea form factor for small, expendable UAVs that require a higher net battery energy. These battery packs are the first and only of their kind in the marketplace.
What is a UAV battery?
UAVs require batteries that are low weight, high-power for lift-off and decent, high-energy for extended range and have a high-cycle or long shelf life to decrease operating costs. UAV batteries can be either rechargeable or non-rechargeable depending on the application. Both military and commercial applications utilize UAV batteries.
