- Celeste Ecoflyers daS10, an inflatable drone that can fly for more than 10 hours
- Its 8-meter pneumatic wing replaces much of the structure of a conventional aircraft.
- The drone can reportedly cover approximately 500 miles in one direction.
A French aerospace startup is developing a 24-foot inflatable drone designed to stay in the air for more than 10 hours while traveling approximately 500 miles one way.
The company recently completed the first flight tests of the drone called daS10, which uses a pressurized textile envelope and pneumatic wings.
When deflated, the drone can fit inside a regular car with the seats folded, giving operators an unusual transportation option.
Inflatable wings could increase the endurance of drones
Celeste Ecoflyers developed the daS10 around an 8-meter fixed wing structure that uses internal air pressure to maintain its shape during flight.
The inflated wing generates lift while avoiding some of the structural weight associated with conventional aircraft designs.
This approach aims to reduce power demands and allow the drone to remain airborne for much longer periods than many small multirotor systems.
The company is developing the aircraft for remote inspection, surveillance and logistics missions that require persistent air cover.
Small consumer drones, like the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, can stay in the air for about 50 minutes before needing a recharge.
That resilience may be insufficient to monitor pipelines, remote infrastructure, or large disaster-affected areas.
Longer-range drones can address those missions, although traditional fixed-wing platforms and vertical takeoff aircraft may involve higher acquisition, transportation and operating costs.
Instead, the daS10 is based on a lightweight structure that can be deflated when the aircraft is not flying.
Celeste Ecoflyers describes the aircraft as a new class of aerial system designed to make persistent cover lighter, safer and easier to deploy.
However, the company has not disclosed all the operating specifications necessary to evaluate those claims independently.
Compact transport meets long-range air operations
The drone’s inflatable structure could allow teams to transport a large aircraft without the need for a dedicated trailer or specialized ground equipment.
Once deployed, operators would inflate the structure before preparing the aircraft for its mission.
Therefore, the design could be adapted to remote operations where storage space and transportation access are limited.
Potential missions include inspecting long pipelines, inspecting disaster zones and monitoring areas where sending manned aircraft would create unnecessary risks.
The drone also has a reported range of approximately 500 miles in one direction, allowing it to cover substantial distances before returning to its launch area.
The daS10 remains an emerging aircraft concept and its real-world performance will depend on flight testing, payload capacity, weather tolerance and the durability of its textile structure.
Its ability to combine long endurance with compact transportation could make the design useful to operators who need expanded coverage without a conventional large aircraft infrastructure.
Via Celeste Ecoflyers | Yanko Design
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