A prototype zinc-air battery developed by Arotech Corporation’s Israel-based Electric Fuel subsidiary, powered a Dragon Eye unmanned drone for the first time in a flight test in California. The UAV flight test was conducted as part of a demonstration program with partial funding from the US Army, the Marine Corps and NASA.
Electric Fuel's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) batteries are high-power, lightweight versions of its most advanced zinc-air cells. Arotech believes its zinc air battery has the potential to greatly extend the mission duration of this reconnaissance aircraft, according to a company press release.
In mid July, Electric Fuel will present its zinc-air battery technology in two major military conferences—the 2003 AUVSI's Unmanned Systems Symposium and Exhibition in Baltimore, Maryland, and the 2003 Tri-Service Power Expo in Norfolk, Virginia.
"UAV's clearly play an important role for the military" said Arotech Chairman and CEO Robert Ehrlich, "and our first test flight shows that with further development we can substantially improve the UAV's mission duration."
Arotech's corporate mission is to provide quality defense and security products for the military, law enforcement and homeland security markets, including advanced zinc-air batteries, multimedia interactive simulators/trainers and lightweight armoring.
Arotech Corporation operates two business divisions: Electric Fuel Batteries—developing and manufacturing zinc-air batteries for military and homeland security applications and developing electric vehicle batteries for zero emission public transportation; and Arotech Defense—consisting of IES Interactive, which provides advanced high-tech multimedia training systems for law enforcement and paramilitary organizations and MDT Armor, which provides vehicle armoring for the military, industrial and private sectors.
Arotech is incorporated in Delaware under the name "Electric Fuel Corporation" and has corporate and sales offices in New York and Denver with research, development and production subsidiaries in Alabama, Colorado and Israel. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
