The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has opened a new horizon in unmanned aerial vehicle technology using eco-friendly fuel cells.

The Korea Institute of Materials Science announced on the 4th that it had developed a 1.2kW fuel cell and successfully used it to fly a drone for over 12 hours continuously.

This achievement marks the longest domestic flight record for a fuel cell-based drone, and is considered to be the world's highest level of technology in civilian terms.

This demonstration flight was led by Dr. Yang Cheol-nam's research team at the Aerospace Materials Demonstration Center of the Materials Process Research Division.

Existing battery-based drones have low energy density, making long-term flight difficult, and internal combustion engines have environmental problems such as noise, vibration, and exhaust gas.

In contrast, the newly developed fuel cell-powered drone flew a stable 755.6 km using a high-efficiency, eco-friendly power source. The average output was measured at 655 W, and the energy density was 606 Wh/kg.

The drone's body is a composite fixed-wing structure with a length of 3.7 m and a wingspan of 7.6 m, and it flew stably along a preset route through an automatic navigation system.

Long-term operation stability was secured through hybrid power configuration, center of gravity optimization, and hydrogen tank pressure monitoring.

This technology has a wide range of potential applications across both civilian and military sectors. Thanks to its low-noise and low-vibration characteristics, it is expected to find a wide range of applications, from military reconnaissance and long-range aerial photography, atmospheric environment monitoring, disaster response, and industrial infrastructure surveillance. Its suitability for Korea's mountainous terrain is particularly noteworthy.

Dr. Yang Cheol-nam, the head of the research team, emphasized, “This achievement was made possible through technological prowess accumulated over 10 years, and in the future, we will challenge ourselves to realize 24-hour flight through the development of liquid hydrogen-based fuel and high-density stack technology.” He added, “Domestic fuel cell systems will play a key role in securing independence and global competitiveness in the drone industry.”

This demonstration flight was conducted as a basic project of the Korea Institute of Materials Science and was successfully completed through the cooperation of the Miryang Drone Training Center, Mirpia Flight Club, Wright Model, and Miryang City Hall.