Cutting-edge tech is moving faster than, well, a speeding drone. A drone that resembles a mini aircraft is a remotely controlled vehicle. It also goes by the name UAV or unmanned aerial vehicles. It has a tiny yet sophisticated robot-like structure and it is also controlled using a remote. By encapsulating the solar cells directly on the wings, the weight was reduced to a minimum while maintaining the right aerodynamics. This exercise by solar-powered drone developing companies proved that the flight range of electric planes and UAVs can easily be extended with the use of high-efficiency solar cells on the wings. With continuous advancements in solar-powered drones, we have compiled a guide of the top solar-powered drone developing companies which are dominating the market.
AeroVironment Inc., an American defense contractor headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is among the leading drone-developing companies that design and manufactures solar-powered drone. They are continuously putting their efforts to deploy technology in ways that push beyond the realm of the possible—and deliver technology solutions that provide valuable new capabilities to their customers well into the future. Their innovative unmanned aircraft systems are designed to broaden the customers' horizons, enabling them to see the world in powerful, new ways and to tackle challenges that previously seemed insurmountable.
QinetiQ is a multinational defense technology company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire. It has made its place among the world's top solar-powered drone developing companies for 2023. QinetiQ has experience in both wind flow simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and aircraft 6-Degree-Of-Freedom (6-DOF) flight modeling.
Aurora Flight Sciences is an American aviation and aeronautics research subsidiary of Boeing which primarily specializes in the design and construction of special-purpose Unmanned aerial vehicles. Aurora is focused to develop novel aircraft configurations and enabling technologies that improve the safety and sustainability of flight.
Skydweller is a US-Spanish aerospace company developing solar-powered aircraft solutions capable of achieving perpetual flight with the highest—and most meaningful—payload capacity. Utilizing technology based upon the longest continuous solar-powered flight program in history, our fast-growing startup is developing a new class of unmanned aircraft, providing the persistence of geosynchronous satellites with the powerful sensing capabilities and range of a large, airborne platform.
ideaForge is a product-focused UAV systems organization, that develops solar-powered drones for a variety of mapping and security applications. ideaForge believes in being unrivalled at pushing the limits of what's possible with UAVs and driving the adoption of this technology for enhancing productivity and security.
China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics or CAAA is a research and manufacturing organization for rockets, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Headquartered in Beijing, China, it is a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). It has designed a solar-powered drone that is 130 feet in width. The wide machine was invented to fly at more than 65,000 feet, for days on end. This can be made possible by using a super lightweight body and renewable energy technology that can power all eight of its electrical propellers. It is listed among the leading solar-powered drone developing companies to follow in 2023.
Elektra Solar designs and manufactures solar-electric aircraft. With its expertise in aircraft design, avionics, electronics, autonomous flying, and robotics. The company promises to provide providing emission-free, robustly manned, and unmanned aircraft systems capable of operating from low altitudes up to the stratosphere and services pushed up to the edge of scientific & technological limits.
EOS Technologies is a French manufacturer of fixed-wing solar UAVs (unmanned or uncrewed aerial vehicles) and UASs (unmanned aircraft systems) designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR). It was founded by an ex-serviceman and the company consists of aeronautical manufacturers and competition pilots. In less than two years, the team has ranked itself among the leading drone-developing companies.
Kea Aerospace is a leading aerospace company in Christchurch, New Zealand which aims to develop a solar-powered, unmanned aircraft that will fly continuously in the stratosphere for months at a time to collect frequent high-resolution aerial images.
Sunbirds is a French innovative company created in 2015. We are specialized in automated aerial monitoring solutions for natural resource management. The company manufactures and designs industrial solar drones which can be used for aerial inspections of disaster-affected areas. From the deployment of autonomous drones to data analysis, it cooperates with Governments, Organizations, and Land Owners to make better decisions with simple, fast, and efficient solutions.
