How Telecommunications Can Keep Cell Towers In Power with SOFCs

San Luis Obispo, CA – January 2, 2024 – Edge Autonomy, a leading provider of autonomous uncrewed aircraft systems, advanced optics, and resilient energy solutions, announced today that it has been awarded a follow-on contract with the United States Navy Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program (PMA-263) for delivery of the VXE30 Stalker Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (sUAS) to support the Long Range/Long Endurance (LR/LE) program of record. Fulfillment of this order will bring the program’s total VXE30 Stalker fleet to over 200 aircraft, advancing the Marine Corps’ focus on future force design through high-endurance, long-range uncrewed systems with Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities that strengthen military operations globally.

“We are extremely proud to continue our support of the United States Marine Corps as they meet ever-evolving global challenges,” said Josh Stinson, Chief Growth Officer for Edge Autonomy. “Our customers’ missions drive our innovations, and we have developed and honed the capabilities of our VXE30 Stalker over the past 15 years to ensure the warfighter has the best technologies to fulfill their missions. This aircraft continues to prove itself in real-world combat, and expanding the USMC Stalker fleet will allow for even greater long range, long endurance capabilities needed in today’s battlefield.”

The Marine Corps announced its “Force Design 2030” initiative in 2020 with a 10-year goal of aligning naval expeditionary warfare with overall National Defense Strategy for operations inside actively contested maritime spaces in support of joint campaigns. Now known as “Force Design,” this initiative is actively equipping the Marine Corps for rapidly evolving future combat environments, including the Indo-Pacific region where peer pacing threats are on the rise.

The VXE30 Stalker is a combat-proven sUAS with over 100,000 flight hours across six continents. Through small-unit ISR tactics that extend the eyes and ears of forward Marine Corps units, PMA-263’s growing Stalker fleet provides a competitive advantage for maritime strategy and executing successful operations on land or at sea.

As the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of this aircraft, Edge Autonomy has partnered with and provided sUAS for the USMC since 2006, evolving the Stalker’s capabilities to increase mission flexibility and meet mission needs as the Marine Corps prepares for an ever-expanding range of threat systems.

“The days of needing a large Group 3 aircraft for long range or long endurance missions are quickly passing,” said Stinson. “Our VXE30 Stalker steps into this role as a light, rugged, and robust Group 2 that is easy to transport and operate within a small logistics footprint. This enables the warfighter to ‘do more with less’ heavy equipment in support of the Marine Corps’ shift toward Distributed Operations.”

The Stalker provides greater mission flexibility through multiple power sources that are fast and simple to procure and field-swap, enabling it to fly silently across a range of up to 160km. While the Stalker’s state-of-the-art battery allows for up to six hours of flight time, the aircraft’s proprietary propane fuel cell quadruples the range and endurance, giving the warfighter even greater autonomy and adaptability through a proven filtration system that turns any grade of propane into a clean, ready-to-use fuel source.

With a modular open systems approach (MOSA), the VXE30 Stalker is payload agnostic, which maximizes mission flexibility and allows for highly customizable functionality based on operational needs. This makes the aircraft highly adaptable under harsh conditions, in GPS-denied environments, and in situations with limited logistics resources.

“Edge Autonomy is honored to continue our support of LR/LE and the USMC’s Force Design plan,” said Stinson. “Our VXE30 Stalker has already been proven to be a great asset to the warfighter, and expanding these capabilities through an increased fleet will further situational awareness and operational efficiency.”

About Edge Autonomy

Edge Autonomy is a leader in providing innovative autonomous uncrewed aircraft systems, advanced optics, and resilient energy solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Federal Civilian Agencies, allied governments, academic institutions, and commercial entities around the world. We believe that innovation – in all forms, from all sources, and at all stages of development – creates solutions that enable mission success. Our highly engineered uncrewed technology systems are utilized in nearly 80 countries in a wide variety of military, civil, and academic applications.

With a team of more than 600 employees, Edge Autonomy draws on nearly four decades of proven aerospace engineering, manufacturing expertise, and advanced technology. With headquarters in San Luis Obispo, CA and nearly 300,000 square feet of manufacturing and production capabilities across the U.S. and in the European Union, Edge Autonomy’s experienced team delivers proven solution based on real-world mission needs.

NAVAIR Public Release SPR-2024-0912. Distribution Statement A – “Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited”

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With wildfires burning this summer all over California, Oregon, Canada and elsewhere around the world, our thoughts turn to the importance of keeping essential infrastructure running.

As our CEO shared in a recent post, natural disasters like these can severely damage commercial power — and renewable energy options. When cell towers, utilities and other essential services lose access to power, people are left in life-threatening situations, and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a growing option for reliable backup power.

Cell towers, for example, may use generators or batteries as backup solutions to keep the towers operational at all times. And remaining in power is vital both for general safety while also, in many states, being legally mandated.

In fact, the CA state legislature recently required that wildfire-prone areas must have 72 hours of backup power onsite at all times. And Texas also passed power grid reforms mandating that power generation and transmission companies must “weatherize,” or protect their infrastructure against severe cold weather.

But sometimes a backup power source fails. When that happens, a maintainer has to physically visit the site to address the issue. And at 100+ pounds each, batteries can be cumbersome for maintainers to replace.

That’s one reason we worked with RedHawk Energy to hybridize a Class I railroad’s backup system using rechargeable batteries and our P250i SOFC.

Meanwhile, generators are loud, maintenance-heavy and create dirty diesel emissions. During a wildfire, the last thing a technician should have to do is go into harm’s way to fix something that should not have failed in the first place.

For many industries, SOFCs have become the best option when seeking a low-watt backup and offgrid power solution that is specifically designed to excel in harsh conditions like extreme cold or wildfire disasters.

One of the key benefits of using SOFCs for backup in wildfire-prone areas is that they are highly fuel-efficient. Unlike other technologies, our SOFC only uses fuel when recharging the batteries. This cuts back on refueling site visits because a single 20-lb propane tank can keep one of our systems running for 80 continuous hours.

Maintainers get plenty of time to schedule a site visit before the system runs out of fuel, so they can visit when it’s safe rather than being forced to visit when the system is out of fuel, regardless of safety.

All of this is why, when it comes to maintaining essential infrastructure during natural disasters like wildfires, SOFCs have become vital across industries. The power changes in these areas are ensuring utilities, cell towers, and more essential services are available.

How Telecommunications Can Keep Cell Towers In Power with SOFCs

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