How Helios Horizon is Taking Electric Aircraft to New Altitudes

How Helios Horizon is Taking Electric Aircraft to New Altitudes

Helios Horizon, an initiative to develop a stratospheric electric airplane, recently concluded its latest flight test campaign having surpassed the altitude record for multi-seat electric aircraft.

Over a series of flights in April and May near Bishop, Calif., Helios Horizon progressed from 17,500 to 24,000 feet, all while using less than 60% of the aircraft’s total battery capacity.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology Podcast, Miguel Iturmendi, Helios Horizon Founder and Chief Test Pilot, explains the project's goals and how their modified Pipistrel has been setting world records in altitudes achieved by an electric aircraft over the last year.

The Helios Horizon team includes engineers and test pilots from some of the world’s most well-known sustainable aviation initiatives, including Perlan Project, Solar Impulse and Solar Stratos. Iturmendi has been a test pilot for all three projects, and he has soared to more than 65,000 feet in the zero-emission, engineless Perlan 2.

For its stratospheric flights, Iturmendi designed and built his own partial pressure suit, which has been tested to 45,000 feet in the hypobaric chamber at the University of North Dakota’s Aerospace Physiology Department.

SAE Media Group has launched a new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) conference, "eVTOL Technology USA," occurring October 28-29, in Arlington, VA. Go to eVTOLtechusa.com for more information.


Avsnitt(57)

SiPhog Technology: Enabling GPS‑Independent Flight for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

SiPhog Technology: Enabling GPS‑Independent Flight for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

Anello Photonics CEO joins us to explain how SiPhog silicon photonic gyroscope technology enables drones to maintain navigation in GPS‑denied and contested environments. This conversation reveals how ...

6 Feb 18min

How Sift's Unified Observability Platform Accelerates Drone Innovation

How Sift's Unified Observability Platform Accelerates Drone Innovation

In December, the Defense Department issued a request forinformation to gauge the defense industry's ability to develop more than 300,000 drones "quickly and inexpensively" by 2027.Over the next year, ...

31 Jan 16min

A New Approach to Manufacturing Machine Connectivity for the Air Force

A New Approach to Manufacturing Machine Connectivity for the Air Force

The U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center’s Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC) has taken a major step toward modernizing depot operations: securely connecting manufacturing machines, robots, and...

12 Dec 202518min

How Packet Digital Is Scaling Domestic Drone Battery Manufacturing

How Packet Digital Is Scaling Domestic Drone Battery Manufacturing

In this episode, Packet Digital CEO Terri Zimmerman breaks down the company’s push to expand U.S.-based production of advanced lithium-ion batteries for military unmanned aircraft systems. She discuss...

5 Dec 202516min

How Virtual Twins are Reshaping Aerospace Design and Manufacturing

How Virtual Twins are Reshaping Aerospace Design and Manufacturing

As aerospace companies race to deliver cutting-edgetechnologies faster and more efficiently, digital innovation is taking center stage. For decades, manufacturers have relied on digital twins for desi...

26 Nov 202529min

A New Additive Manufacturing Accelerator for the US Navy in Guam

A New Additive Manufacturing Accelerator for the US Navy in Guam

This episode examines the technical and strategic foundations behind Guam’s new advanced manufacturing hub, developed through ASTRO America in coordination with the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Bas...

21 Nov 202531min

The Hidden Heroes of Hydrogen Flight: Sealing and Materials

The Hidden Heroes of Hydrogen Flight: Sealing and Materials

While hydrogen-powered flight promises zero emissions and high efficiency, it also brings some of the toughest engineering challenges: cryogenic storage, high-pressure systems, and the constant risk o...

14 Nov 202510min

How Forterra is Enabling Modular Military Vehicle Autonomy

How Forterra is Enabling Modular Military Vehicle Autonomy

During the 2025 Association of the United States Army(AUSA) annual meeting and exhibition, Forterra announced several major defense industry vehicle partnerships and introduced four new integrated mod...

7 Nov 202517min

Populärt inom Teknik

uppgang-och-fall
elbilsveckan
market-makers
rss-elektrikerpodden
rss-laddstationen-med-elbilen-i-sverige
skogsforum-podcast
bilar-med-sladd
rss-uppgang-och-fall
natets-morka-sida
gubbar-som-tjotar-om-bilar
bosse-bildoktorn-och-hasse-p
rss-technokratin
developers-mer-an-bara-kod
rss-veckans-ai
bli-saker-podden
hej-bruksbil
rss-it-sakerhetspodden
algoritmen
vi-bilagares-podcast
rss-milpodden