New drone using hydrogen to win the fight: Weapon of the Week

[Ryan]

SPEND ENOUGH TIME ON THE FLOOR OF A DEFENSE EXPOSITION, AND YOU’LL FIND JUST ABOUT ANY KIND OF DRONE YOU CAN IMAGINE. BUT RECENTLY, WE CAME ACROSS SOMETHING WE HADN’T SEEN BEFORE. 

AND THAT’S WHY HEVENDRONES ARE OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK. 

TO LOOK AT HEVENDRONES’ NEWEST PROJECT, THE H2-D-250, YOU MIGHT NOT THINK IT’S ALL THAT DIFFERENT FROM DOZENS OF OTHER SIMILAR-LOOKING MODELS LOOKING TO CLAIM TO PIECE OF THE MARKETSPACE.

BUT THE COMPANY’S FOUNDER SAYS IT’S WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD THAT MAKES IT SOMETHING NEW TO BE RECKONED WITH. 

[Ben Levinson Founder/CEO, HevenDrones]

“We said we have to solve the energy piece. And when we’re looking for the ideal energy source of drones. We got the hydrogen. So it’s really one long story, which is, how can drones do more (than just be)  flying robots, heavy lift, great. Getting to long endurance is what led us to hydrogen.

[RYAN]

SO WHY HYDROGEN? LEVINSON SAYS IT OFFERS THREE TO FIVE TIMES THE ENERGY DENSITY OF TRADITIONAL BATTERIES, EXTENDING FLIGHT TIME BY HOURS. IDEAL FOR PLACES LIKE THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION.

[Ben Levinson]

“So it’s highly pressurized hydrogen that is sitting in a tank, small amount, about a pound of hydrogen. That’s it. And then we have a fuel cell. The fuel cell is taking that hydrogen and slowly making that into electricity. So we’re kind of creating, it’s like a power plant in the sky. So that’s how it works. So we’re going from again 30 minutes to about three hours, and our new systems, that actually include a wing, can already achieve 10 hours of flight time.”

[RYAN]

OF COURSE, OPERATING IN AUSTERE CONDITIONS, THINK A SMALL ISLAND SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC, PRESENTS A HOST OF CHALLENGES. LEVINSON SAYS THEIR DRONES DON’T NEED MUCH IN THE WAY OF INFRASTRUCTURE. IN FACT THEY DON’T EVEN NEED TO ADD FUEL TO THE SUPPLY CHAIN.

[Ben Levinson]

“ We actually have portable hydrogen refueling stations. So trailer-based, imagine your pickup truck or your, you know, your Hummer, and there’s solar panels on the roof. So wherever you are in the world, once you have this station, you’re just creating your hydrogen. You’re using it. So if you’re an island or every wherever you are, there’s no need to get more fuel or into the country. You just created your hydrogen with thin air every single day,”

[RYAN]

OF COURSE THE ULTIMATE QUESTION IS, WHAT CAN HEVEN’S DRONES PROVIDE TO THE WARFIGHTER. LEVINSON SAYS THEY ARE FOCUSED ON THREE ASPECTS, LOGISTICS, A LAUNCH PLATFORM FOR OTHER DRONES OR GROUND ROBOTS, AND FINALLY, DELIVERING MUNITIONS. 

[Ben Levinson]

“I think we as the US and Israel, for example, realized over the past year after October 7th, that without its safety and security, our way of life, everything else is irrelevant. I think that we all have to work together again, as, you know, as individuals, right, as companies, etc, to make sure that, you know, we as the US, we as the Western world, have these strengths and have the capability to continue to live our lives in the way of freedom that we all believe in.”

[RYAN]

AT THE MOMENT, HEVENDRONES IS STILL WORKING WITH THE DOD AND ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES TO SECURE A DEAL WITH U.S. FORCES.  AND IF THEY ARE LOOKING FOR PROOF OF PERFORMANCE, THEY DON’T HAVE TO LOOK TOO FAR.

[Ben Levinson]

“Our drones are the leading drones working heavy lift in Israel today. Give a lot of experience on the ground, actually scaling up, and we’re just kind of getting ahead of the curve and what we’re expecting for the conflicts in the years and decades to come.”

[RYAN]

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME–AND YOU’RE THINKING THIS ALL SOUNDS GREAT BUT ISN’T A HYDROGEN-POWERED DRONE SUPER DANGEROUS IF IT CRASHES OR GET’S SHOT ? WELL, WE ASKED LEVINSON THAT EXACT QUESTION–AND HE SAYS WHILE IT MAY SEEM COUNTER-INTUITIVE–THEY’VE DONE THE TESTING TO SHOW HYDROGEN BATTERIES ARE AS SAFE–OR SAFER–THAN TRADITIONAL ELECTRIC BATTERIES.