SION Power's new battery system extends flight time of unmanned aerial vehicle

TUCSON, Ariz., 6 Dec. 2006. QinetiQ has carried out an autonomous demonstration flight of a UAV using SION Power's new high-energy, rechargeable lithium sulfur battery. Previous flights with lithium polymer cells enabled flight times of 1 hour and 10 minutes. The lightweight, high-energy lithium sulfur battery packs from SION Power yielded a flight time of more than 2 hours.

SION Power has developed the next generation of high-energy rechargeable batteries based on the lithium sulfur technology. The base cells in the battery packs used in this flight had a specific energy of 350 Wh/Kg -- 50 percent greater than the best available lithium ion batteries. The battery pack electronics and assembly were provided by Nexergy Inc. in Columbus, Ohio.

Global defense and security company QinetiQ is at the forefront of UAV technology with its Zephyr High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAV. Designed to fly at altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet, these planes can perform a range of missions and functions for both military and civilian applications. SION's lithium sulfur battery packs are a critical part of the system design.