Cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs are working to produce a stealthy unmanned aerial vehicle that is powered by an alternative energy source. The academy launched the project, in which cadets study fuel cells and hydrogen storage materials, about 10 years ago in a joint effort with Ball Aerospace and Hydrogen Components Inc. John Wilkes, the academy’s chemistry research director, believes the project’s work on hydrogen fuel cell technology would benefit small UAVs using electric motors, which are stealthier because they are quiet and produce less heat, but which currently use heavy, time-limiting batteries. Wilkes believes the cadets are on the right track, but he says the “journey along that road is usually 20 years or more.”
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
