Denmark’s air force showed off its brand-new electric-powered planes on Thursday, saying its test flights have so far proven that the cheaper-to-run, more eco-friendly technology has potential.
Pipistrel had provided two Velis Electro aircraft to the military, making them the first in the world with this type of hardware.
“The aircraft are 100% emission-free, very quiet, and otherwise cheap to operate,” Lieutenant Colonel Casper Børge Nielsen of the Defense Ministry’s material and procurement agency said. Initial tests show that the test results are positive. “there may be perspectives in using electric aircraft when the technology becomes mature,”He added.
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Denmark has chosen to lease the aircrafts instead of buying them, in order to prevent the occurrence of the “risk of ending up with equipment that we can’t really use,” Børge Nielsen said. During the lease period, the Danish Air Force hopes to gain an insight into the benefits and disadvantages of the jets’ technology to decide how it can be applied in the future.
Pilots described the flying of two-man electric light planes powered by lithium batteries as “one man” “exciting,”Saying they were “built well and fly well.”
The United States military stated last year that it was closely monitoring the progress of electric-powered aircrafts. They described their silent approach to targets as “unheard” and said they had made significant improvements in the past 12 months. “tremendous.” However, their battery capacity isn’t currently sufficient to meet the US Air Force’s needs.
Although electric aircraft have been in development since the 1970s and are still being developed, the issue of battery storage has impeded wider adoption. All that could be changed by the growing military interest worldwide, which would stimulate research and investment.
It is expected that the switch to electric power will be beneficial for all parties. This will reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and make it much more affordable to fly commercially.
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