Doosan Unveils Long-Haul Hydrogen Drone for the First Time in Africa

Participation in the World Bank-led 'Africa Drone Forum'... Government Officials from Over 20 African Countries Attend

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) is introducing its hydrogen drone capable of long-duration flights to Africa for the first time.

DMI announced on the 5th that it will participate in the Africa Drone Forum (ADF), held from the 5th to 7th of this month (local time) in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where it will showcase the hydrogen drone ‘DS30,’ which can fly for more than two hours.

Organized by the World Bank, the ADF is an event that explores the potential for building logistics infrastructure in Africa through drones and connects governments, investors, and operators from various African countries.

The World Bank, which provides loans for infrastructure development in developing countries, also exerts significant influence in selecting operators for drone projects underway not only in Africa but also in major developing countries.

Considering Africa’s regional characteristics, where only 34% of the population lives within a 2 km radius of major roads, the World Bank predicts that an investment of $38 billion (approximately 46 trillion KRW) will be needed to build logistics infrastructure.

The ADF will be attended by minister-level officials from over 20 African countries, as well as drone-related operators from more than 40 countries worldwide.

During the ADF, DMI will actively promote its business by exhibiting hydrogen drones at the Korea Pavilion organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and introducing its projects. Additionally, DMI CEO Doo-soon Lee is scheduled to give a keynote presentation titled “Long-Duration Flight Solutions for Emergency Delivery” on the 6th.

CEO Lee explained, “Hydrogen drones can be used in various ways in Africa, where road and traffic conditions are poor, such as ‘drone ambulances’ transporting medicines or relief supplies.”

He added, “The ADF is a meaningful event to find new business opportunities in Africa and other developing countries where logistics infrastructure is not properly established. We aim to secure opportunities to enter the logistics market in Africa across multiple industries with DMI’s hydrogen drones and leverage this experience to target the global logistics market.”

Meanwhile, DMI previously won the Grand Innovation Award and Innovation Award for its hydrogen drone at CES 2020, North America’s largest IT and electronics exhibition.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.