Li-S Energy set to fly higher and longer with Kea Aerospace collaboration

Li-S Energy has signed a collaboration agreement with Kea Aerospace, a global leader high-altitude UAVs
The collaboration will involve the integration of Li-S’s advanced lithium sulfur battery technology into Kea’s UAVs and target multi-month flight times
The agreement with Kea is consistent with Li-S’s strategy to focus on the rapidly growing markets of drones, defence and electric aviation

Special Report: Li-S Energy has signed a collaboration agreement with Kea Aerospace to integrate Li-S’s advanced lithium sulfur battery technology into Kea’s high-altitude UAVs, with tests targeting multi-month flight times and a potentially huge market.

The collaboration announced at this week’s Avalon International Airshow will see the integration of Li-S’s advanced lithium sulfur battery technology into Kea’s UAVs to significantly enhance flight endurance and efficiency in operations with sky-high potential.

Ground testing is expected this year, followed by flight testing, with the focus on incorporating Li-S Energy’s (ASX:LIS) ultra-light battery cells and Battery Management System (BMS) technology into a Kea battery pack design.

New Zealand based Kea is currently flight-testing its aircraft in the stratosphere, which is between 55,000 and 65,000 feet, and is targeting multi-month flight times.

Kea’s solar-powered ATMOS aircraft operates as a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) and High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft.

The test program’s objective will be to demonstrate Li-S’s world leading battery technology and integration in the 12.5 metre wingspan ATMOS Mk1 aircraft. This will be followed by integration into the ATMOS Mk2 design, which will be capable of continuous flight for several months.

In ATMOS Mk2, the aircraft motors will cycle between power from the battery at night and solar cells during the day (with excess solar power also recharging the battery).

The solar-powered ATMOS aircraft in action. Pic: Kea

Worth its weight

Li-S’s collaboration with Kea is consistent with the battery tech startup’s strategy to target the rapidly growing markets of drones, defence and electric aviation.

Kea chose to partner with Li-S because of its cutting-edge lithium sulfur battery tech that offers significant weight savings and world-leading energy density.

Weight is absolutely critical for HAPS platforms. Having a battery with higher energy density prolongs flight time, improves payload capacity and can increase the geographic reach of operations, both in latitude and for operations with less daylight hours.

Stratospheric potential

The ATMOS drone gathers high-resolution aerial imagery and video data for applications such as maritime awareness, environmental monitoring and disaster response, plus a broad range of other commercial use cases such as supporting telecommunications services.

The commercial potential for stratospheric HAPS aircraft capable of multi-month flight durations is substantial and Kea is at the cutting edge of this global industry.

Successfully developing a stratospheric UAV capable of multi-month missions is a prime focus of multi-million dollar R&D efforts by companies ranging from Airbus and BAE Systems in the aerospace sector to finance giant SoftBank and Japanese telecom NTT Docomo.

Multi-month drone missions provide opportunities in data gathering, surveillance and telecommunications services not offered by the un-steerable balloons and the more expensive, fixed-position satellites which are used currently.

Cutting edge collab

Li-S Energy CEO Dr Lee Finniear commented: “Our initial focus on the drone, defence and electric aviation markets is producing incredible opportunities for Li-S Energy.

“The stratospheric UAV market is a key sector of interest with enormous commercial potential and partnering with Kea Aerospace positions us to engage at the cutting edge of it.

“Given the paramount importance of weight and reliability to Kea’s ATMOS line of stratospheric UAVs, their decision to collaborate with Li-S highlights how far advanced our battery technology is compared with that of many of our competitors.

“We look forward to the testing program being undertaken in 2025, and to becoming a key technology partner of Kea as it delivers high performance, multi-month HAPS aircraft platforms to the global market.”

Kea’s CEO Dr Mark Rocket noted: “Today’s announcement of our collaboration with Li-S at the Avalon International Airshow, one of the most prestigious airshows globally, speaks to how significantly we view our new partnership.

“Li-S’s next generation lithium-sulfur battery offers more than twice the energy density of conventional lithium-ion batteries, while being greener due to the absence of key materials such as cobalt.

“This year promises to be a pivotal year for Kea as we develop our ATMOS Mk2 aircraft and the successful integration of Li-S battery technology into our ATMOS UAVs would give us an incredible competitive advantage in an industry where the commercial applications are vast.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Li-S Energy, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.