Powering the Future: How Small Business and Academic Partnerships Are Advancing Hybrid Energy Storage for Defense UAVs
In today’s defense landscape, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) play a crucial role in surveillance, intelligence, and combat missions. Yet, the longevity and efficiency of these UAVs are tightly tied to advancements in energy storage. Hybrid Energy Storage Systems (HESS)—which combine batteries, fuel cells, and other energy sources—are emerging as a game-changing solution for defense applications. By collaborating with small businesses and academic institutions, the Department of Defense (DoD) is innovating in this area, enhancing mission endurance, reducing costs, and ensuring resilience in remote or hostile environments.
The Advantages of HESS for Mission Capability
For military UAVs, having extended endurance without constant recharging or refueling is essential. The integration of HESS technology nearly doubles UAV endurance, taking flight time from approximately 16 hours to over 35 hours. This increased capacity enables longer surveillance, intelligence-gathering, and operational missions, supporting critical needs in scenarios where access to energy resources is limited (source: Hydrogen Program, Home - Military Embedded Systems). This advancement directly translates into greater mission success rates, particularly for strategic intelligence operations that rely on long-duration UAV presence.
HESS technology also enhances the resilience of UAVs, allowing them to adapt to power demands in real time, whether it’s for continuous operation or for high-power bursts needed for tasks like take-off or rapid maneuvers. These systems make UAVs more reliable in varied environmental conditions, from extreme heat to high-vibration settings, which are typical in combat scenarios (source: Home - Military Embedded Systems).
Economic Impact: Lowering Costs and Increasing Efficiency
Aside from improving mission capability, HESS brings significant cost-saving benefits. By reducing the frequency of required maintenance and the need for extensive logistical support, HESS-enabled UAVs help lower operational expenses. Defense installations that adopt hybrid and renewable energy systems are seeing real financial benefits. For example, the Air Force committed $264 million to energy resilience projects in 2024, aiming to modernize energy infrastructure to reduce long-term costs across its operations (source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense). These investments highlight the Air Force’s strategic focus on sustainable energy solutions, which directly support HESS innovations for UAVs.
Small Business and Academic Partnerships: The Backbone of HESS Advancements
Small businesses contribute agility and innovative approaches to HESS development, rapidly iterating on design and manufacturing to address the unique energy needs of military UAVs. Academic institutions bring in-depth research capabilities, enabling the exploration of high-risk, high-reward projects that small businesses might not be able to tackle alone. Together, these partnerships bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical application, facilitating breakthroughs in energy density, power management, and materials optimization.
Funding mechanisms, such as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, are vital for accelerating these partnerships, providing financial support that brings innovative solutions to market faster. By partnering with academia, small businesses gain access to testing infrastructure and research talent, while universities benefit from insights into real-world defense challenges.
"Joining Forces, Unifying Ideas" - graphic courtesy of WBI.
Fostering Partnerships with Expertise
Wright Brothers institute understands the impact to mission capability and cost-savings to the DoD. WBI’s collaborative projects include the improvement of energy density, longevity, and durability of batteries, which are essential for UAVs due to the unique operational demands of these systems. For instance, WBI worked on the Air Force’s initiatives to transition from traditional battery chemistries to advanced lithium-ion systems, optimizing weight, performance, and maintenance costs across the Department of the Air Force.
In a related effort, WBI has organized and participated in events such as the “Energy Storage Systems for the Advancement of UAVs” collider, which brings together experts from academia, industry, and the Department of Defense to address UAV-specific challenges in energy storage. This event provides a platform to explore cutting-edge energy storage solutions that could significantly enhance UAV performance, mission capability, and reduce lifecycle costs.
WBI’s work extends to facilitating partnerships between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and small businesses that specialize in battery innovation. By mapping the energy storage ecosystem and engaging industry leaders, WBI has helped the Air Force identify potential suppliers and partners, driving forward innovations in lightweight, high-performance batteries designed to withstand the rigorous demands of military UAV operations (source: Apex, WBI Innovates).
Building a Resilient Defense Innovation Ecosystem
The advancements in HESS not only benefit UAV performance but also strengthen the defense innovation ecosystem. This interconnected network of small businesses, academic institutions, and defense organizations creates a pipeline of talent and technology essential for addressing the complex energy needs of future UAV platforms. As the DoD continues to champion sustainable and resilient energy solutions, HESS technology will play a pivotal role, not only in reducing costs and improving mission efficiency but in setting a foundation for more resilient defense operations in the years to come.