MHI, Yamaha test flight hybrid-type medium-sized UAV

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Yamaha Motor are conducting joint research to develop a medium-sized multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of carrying a payload of 200 kg. 

The two Japanese companies have conducted a flight test of a hybrid-type medium-sized UAV equipped with a compact, lightweight power generating unit developed by Yamaha Motor, and will continue joint research with the aim of utilizing a hybrid power system to extend the cruising range of the medium-sized UAV, according to a media release.

MHI is leveraging the technologies it has cultivated through aircraft development and manufacturing to develop medium-sized UAVs. In March 2024, MHI concluded an agreement with Yamaha Motor to conduct joint research on utilizing the power generating unit that the company had developed, with the aim of utilizing a hybrid power system to extend the cruising range.

This joint research will confirm the feasibility of using a power generating unit to realize a medium-sized UAV with a cruising range of 200 km and a maximum payload of 200 kg.

“MHI is engaged in the design, manufacture, and testing of a hybrid-type medium-sized UAV based on technology that it has cultivated through aircraft development and manufacturing,” Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said in the media release. “Yamaha Motor is working to develop a compact and lightweight power generating unit by combining technologies for the small, high-power engines that it has cultivated in its two- and four-wheeled vehicle engine business, with the latest electric motor technology.”

In a flight test conducted in mid-April at MHI’s research facility, a medium-sized UAV equipped with a power generation unit developed by Yamaha Motor successfully lifted off for the first time.