New standards for emission-free and sustainable autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles
With the aim of promoting climate-neutral, emission-free and sustainable aviation, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and its partners have developed the unmanned aerial vehicle ELENA (named after the research project of the same name). ELENA, the cutting-edge unmanned aircraft approved under the EASA ‘Specific’ category, is partly made of sustainable biocomposites and utilizes a hydrogen fuel cell a zero-emission power source.
Fields of application for the ELENA fixed-wing aerial vehicle
With a wingspan of 6 metres and a take-off weight of 40 kg, as well as the latest sensor technology and data processing, ELENA offers comprehensive, autonomous technology for unmanned aerial vehicles. The aircraft is suitable for long-endurance missions and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. It primarily targets the urgent needs of the Austrian forestry, focusing on the aerial mapping and sustainable protection of the forest in the pre-Alpine region. As a secondary application, it is used in agriculture, viticulture and fruit growing, as well as in crisis and disaster management.
Project partners
Research group Assistive & Autonomous Systems / AIT Center for Vision Automation & Control
PIDSO – Propagation Ideas & Solutions GmbH
FH Joanneum GmbH
CEA Design GmbH
Austro Control GmbH
AIRlabs Austria GmbH
About the Austrian Drone Forum
Under the motto ‘Innovation meets Regulation’, the Austrian Drone Forum 2025 provides a platform for the latest information from authorities, industry and research. The organisers are the
Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK), the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), Austro Control GmbH (ACG) and the Austrian Association for Drones (AAD)
23 January 2025 9:30 - 18:00
1030 Vienna, Radetzkystraße 2, BMK ballroom
www.bmk.gv.at/service/veranstaltungen/drohnenforum-oesterreich.html
Contact
DI Christoph Sulzbachner
Thematic CoordinatorAssistive & Autonomous Systems
Center VAC