Lyten and AEVEX are working to integrate Lyten’s American-made lithium-sulfur battery cells into AEVEX’s unmanned aerial vehicles.
SAN JOSE, Calif., and TAMPA, Fla.—Lyten and AEVEX Aerospace have established a partnership to demonstrate, manufacture, and deliver unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) powered by lithium-sulfur batteries, according to a joint release by the companies.
The goal of the partnership is to deliver lighter-weight and longer-range UAVs that are also the first to be fully compliant with the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act’s (NDAA) domestic battery sourcing restrictions. The companies have reportedly begun work to integrate Lyten’s domestically produced lithium-sulfur battery cells into AEVEX’s Unmanned Air Vehicles.
Lyten is a developer and manufacturer of lithium-sulfur battery technology. The company manufactures its proprietary Lyten 3D Graphene™ material, as well as applications for the material, at its facility in San Jose. Lyten is reported to be commercializing next-generation lithium-sulfur batteries for use in the automotive, aerospace, defense, and other markets.
AEVEX produces a wide variety of unmanned aerial systems in use by the U.S. government and around the world today. The company’s UAVs are reportedly known for their “durability, advanced technology integration, and mission-specific adaptability,” suiting them well for complex global operations.
According to the release, Lyten manufactures lithium-sulfur battery cells in pouch and cylindrical formats (2170 and 18650) and is currently shipping cells from its San Jose facility for customer evaluation. Lyten Lithium-Sulfur’s high energy density and light weight is said to enable use of the cells in numerous industries, including automotive, space, aerospace, UAVs, micromobility, defense, and consumer electronics.
The cells use locally sourced raw materials and are manufactured in the United States, making them fully compliant with the Inflation Reduction Act, the 2024 NDAA, and not subject to Section 301 Tariffs on electric vehicles, batteries, and critical minerals imported from China. In July, Lyten was included on the Silicon Valley Defense Group’s NATSEC100 for the second year, as the only battery company in the list of top national security technologies.
In December 2023, the U.S. Congress passed the 2024 NDAA, which prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) from procuring batteries or battery components after October 2027 from Chinese manufacturers.
“From day one, we have been developing our Lithium-Sulfur batteries to unlock mass market electrification,” said Lyten CEO and Co-Founder Dan Cook, in the release. “That means higher energy density, lighter weight batteries using abundantly available, low-cost raw materials that can be manufactured in the U.S. and Europe using existing manufacturing infrastructure. We are encouraged to see the U.S. Government recognize the importance of a domestic battery industry and create policies that support this vision.”
AEVEX and Lyten are targeting the first delivery of UAVs powered by Lyten Lithium-Sulfur batteries by the end of 2024, the release said.
“Good policy should foster innovative solutions, and that is what AEVEX and Lyten’s partnership represents,” stated AEVEX Chief Executive Officer Brian Raduenz, in the release. “We are not just becoming the first defense contractor to fully meet the words and intent of Congress’s 2024 NDAA mandate—we’re doing it in a manner that results in a better performing and safer UAV.”