What use have landing gears in flight? The answer to this question spawned the idea for our mobile runway system for UAV and light aircraft. In addition to the development of the mobile runway and complementary UAV applications, we offer consulting services in aircraft systems technology and automation technology.

 

What we do...

Consulting Services

Starting in 2008, mb+Partner has extensive experience in consulting services regarding the areas of aircraft systems and automation technology. Feel free to contact us for a quick chat about your situation - we would be delighted to offer our services!

Mobile Runway System

Fixed-wing drones are more efficient than vertical takeoff drones and much faster than copters, but the ability to automate their operation is limited. This is where the mobile runway system (also known as ground carriage) enables a step change in fixed-wing drone operations

Fixed-Wing Drones

Using the mobile runway system, mb+Partner develops fixed-wing drones to provide cost-effective, high-performance aerial services. The required modifications to existing drones are minimal. A BVLOS license has already been granted

Benefits for your application

Mobile runway

Mobile and infrastructure-independent runways, e.g. drone ports for cargo drones, non-permanent logistics for disaster relief and crisis operations as well as access to hard-to-reach locations (islands, plateaus, etc.). Little to no impact on natural habitats means more freedom in choosing deployment sites.

Unlock automation

Full flight automation of highly efficient fixed-wing air vehicles. No need for staff at launch site means low cost as one operator or remote pilot is sufficient for several sites. Fast rensponse times lead to new market areas for fixed-wing aircraft.

Increase performance

Increased fixed-wing air vehicle performance. No need for landing gear directly reduces weight - even more when resizíng the air vehicle. Less weight is equivalent to more payload or longer endurance.

Low A/C requirements

Low operating requirements for the aircraft due to less mechanical stress on the airframe during take-off and high landing safety due to maintaining crab angle until touchdown. Assisted take-off and landing reduces power requirements for take-off and removes the demand for reversing thrust.

Use cases

Perfect technology for persistent surveillance, linear long / area large tasks and fast response capability. Examples are automated detection and fighting of forest fires, operations of authorities and organizations with security tasks, monitoring of network infrastructures, solar-powered electric aircraft, HAPS, in general for large wingspan aircraft.
 

News

mb+Partner included in the selected OIC solutions with SILVA4BOS approach

The OpenInnovationChallenge (OIC) was organised by the FIRE-RES project (Innovative technologies & socio-ecological-economic solutions for fire resilient territories in Europe) which aims to "boost the socio-ecological transition of the European Union towards a fire-resilient continent by developing a stream of innovation actions".

After participating, we are now presented in the selected OIC solutions category with our SILVA4BOS approach!

For more information, see the FIRE-RES website.

🌍 Exploring Drone Opportunities in Tanzania & Rwanda: Strengthening Global Partnerships ✈️

Exciting days at the end of the year! We had the privilege of visiting Tanzania and Rwanda as part of German drone industry representatives, organized by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Eastern Africa (AHK Eastern Africa) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. This trip provided an invaluable opportunity to gain insights into countries, people & legislation and to connect with industry leaders, explore new drone technology applications, and strengthen our commitment to driving innovation.

A key highlight was our visit to Zipline, a leader in the use of small fixed-wing drones for logistics and healthcare delivery. As Zipline’s operations are already mature, their focus on using compact fixed-wing drones for remote deliveries offered valuable insights into scaling our own operations of larger fixed-wing drones. Their success in revolutionizing healthcare delivery in underserved areas was truly inspiring and aligns with our vision of using drone technology for impactful solutions, where even larger payloads, further distances and/or even higher automation rate is required.

In Tanzania, we were equally impressed by the government's focus on drones as a central part of their 5-year business development plan. This strategic initiative is set to unlock tremendous potential for drones in sectors like agriculture, logistics and healthcare.

Additionally, we had a great time with representatives from other Drone companies such as Aerodata AG, aeroDCS GmbH, CHARIS UAS, Dronesperhour, Germandrones GmbH, HHLA Sky GmbH and WINGCOPTER. The camaraderie and shared vision of the delegation were encouraging, and we look forward to future collaborations that will help propel the drone sector forward.

A big thank you to our hosts in Tanzania and Rwanda: Germany Trade & Invest, KfW, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, German embassies in Rwanda & Tanzania, Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA), Tanzania Investment Centre, Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda as well as to all the participants of the conferences and especially to those, who made this trip a success. We are excited to continue strengthening global partnerships and advancing the future of drone technology.

First Flight of Our Hydrogen-Fueled Drone! ✈️

After almost two years of hard work, innovation, and overcoming technical challenges, we are proud to unveil the maiden flight of our hydrogen-powered R3600 fixed-wing drone! 🚀 This milestone marks a significant step forward in sustainable drone technology, but the journey to get here wasn't easy:

  • Swapping Out the Internal Combustion Engine: The challenge of transitioning from a gas-powered system to a fully electric powertrain was no small feat. From compatibility issues to weight, balance and efficiency concerns, we had to rethink and rebuild the entire drivetrain.
  • Electric Optimization: Before hydrogen could take center stage, we needed to refine the electric powertrain through rigorous testing using battery-powered flights. These tests helped us perfect performance, efficiency, and reliability while ensuring the system was ready to handle hydrogen fuel cells.
  • Hydrogen Integration: Finally, we adapted our drone to integrate a hydrogen fuel cell system—a cutting-edge power source that drastically increases flight time and reduces environmental impact. Among other changes, the airflow within the fuselage cooling the fuel cell needed to be optimized to sustain high-performance situations.

What’s next? With this success, we’re moving closer to a future of zero-emission drones capable of revolutionizing industries like logistics, surveying, and more. This will become even more impressive when paired with our ground-based launch and landing system. 📈

All of this was only possible due to our collaboration with TECCON Consulting and Engineering GmbH, Thelsys and ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research in project H2finity, supported by IFB Hamburg.