Lithium-Metal Battery Pack Boosts Drone Endurance & Energy Density

Sion Power has completed flight testing of its Licerion Strike lithium-metal battery pack, achieving a 140 percent increase in pack-level energy density compared to conventional lithium-ion systems under identical operating conditions.

Conducted on the Astro Max unmanned aircraft platform with various payloads, the flight testing delivered one hour of mission endurance compared to 33 minutes on the incumbent battery system. The Licerion Strike battery pack maintains the exact same form factor as the original power system, enabling a drop-in replacement without requiring airframe redesigns or major platform modifications. Sion Power expects a two to three times mission improvement across different unmanned platforms and mission profiles.

“Delivering 140% more pack-level energy density than conventional lithium-ion is what unlocks performance gains like this,” said Pamela Fletcher, chief executive officer of Sion Power. “Reducing system weight while increasing available energy is how you get to 1 hour of mission endurance. Our team delivered that, and Licerion Strike is ready to deploy.”

As mission requirements grow, energy constraints on unmanned platforms have intensified, with AI processing, autonomous navigation, secure communications, and electronic warfare payloads competing directly with propulsion for available energy. The 140 percent increase in pack energy density can be deployed for several platform advancements, including extended hover time, increased range, heavier payloads, and enhanced maneuvering.

“Energy is the constraint that shapes every tradeoff on a UAS platform,” Fletcher said. “When you solve it at the pack level, operators have choices they didn’t have before: longer ISR windows, heavier sensors, more capable electronics, all without changing the aircraft.”

Target applications for the technology include unmanned aerial systems, loitering munitions, ISR platforms, autonomous logistics drones, high-altitude and space platforms, and autonomous maritime systems. All battery cells and packs are 100 percent developed and manufactured in the United States.

Mitch Hourtienne, chief commercial officer at Sion Power, said, “The National Defense Authorization Act establishes the U.S. Department of War’s mandate to build a domestic battery supply chain. With more than 25 years of lithium-metal research and development and a Tucson-based manufacturing platform, Sion Power is strategically positioned to support this initiative and meet market demand.”