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Inflatable drone claims 10-hour flights and 500-mile range
French startup Celeste Ecoflyers says its daS10 inflatable drone can fly for more than 10 hours and travel about 500 miles one way.
Image: TechRadar
A French aerospace startup is building a 24-foot inflatable drone that it says can stay airborne for more than 10 hours and travel roughly 500 miles one way. The aircraft, called daS10, has already completed early flight testing, according to Celeste Ecoflyers.
The drone is built around an 8-meter pneumatic fixed wing that uses internal air pressure to hold its shape in flight. Celeste Ecoflyers says that replacing much of a conventional aircraft structure with a pressurized textile envelope cuts structural weight, lowers energy demand, and extends endurance beyond what many small multirotor drones can manage.
That matters for jobs such as inspection, surveillance, and remote logistics, where operators may need persistent coverage over long distances. By comparison, TechRadar notes that small consumer drones such as the DJI Mavic 4 Pro typically fly for around 50 minutes before needing a recharge.
A key part of the pitch is transport. When deflated, the company says the daS10 can fit inside a normal car with the seats folded down, avoiding the need for a dedicated trailer or specialized ground equipment. Operators would inflate the aircraft on site before launch, a setup that could be useful in remote areas with limited storage or access.
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Possible missions include monitoring pipelines, surveying disaster zones, and covering areas where using crewed aircraft would add unnecessary risk. Celeste Ecoflyers describes the daS10 as a new class of aerial system designed to make persistent coverage lighter, safer, and easier to deploy, though the company has not disclosed all of the operational details needed to independently verify those claims. Real-world performance will depend on further flight testing, payload capacity, weather tolerance, and the durability of the textile structure.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via TechRadar
