Author Archives: uavicinglab

Dr. Richard Hann, Senior Researcher at NTNU and Director of the UAV Icing Lab, has received the NATO PST STC Young Contributor Award (Fall 2026). The award was presented during the first Platform Systems and Technology committee meeting in Antalya, Türkiye. The award recognises Hann’s contributions to UAV icing research and his leadership in bringingContinue reading “NATO Young Contributor Award: Recognition for Advancing UAV Icing Research”

Dr. Richard Hann, director of the NTNU UAV Icing Lab, has been selected as one of the 2026 AIAA 30/30 recipients in the Aerospace Sciences category. He is recognized for his work on UAV icing and, in particular, for helping establish UAV icing as an important research topic and operational challenge for the aerospace community.Continue reading “AIAA 30/30: Recognition for Advancing UAV Icing Research”

The NTNU UAV Icing Lab has obtained funding for a new European research project on ice protection systems for future aircraft. The project DELIA – Development and Demonstration of a Smart, Low-power, Hybrid Ice Protection System for Ultra-Efficient Regional Aircraft has been selected for funding through the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking Call 4. DELIA isContinue reading “New Clean Aviation project on low-power ice protection systems”

** NEW PUBLICATION ** The operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in icing conditions can be significantly limited because of aerodynamic performance penalties. For example, ice accretions on wings reduce lift and increase drag. The increased drag requires the aircraft to increase thrust, thereby increasing the required energy and limiting flight endurance and range. GoodContinue reading “The challenge of predicting drag increases under icing conditions”

Doctoral candidate Joachim Wallisch at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics and NTNU UAV Icing Lab will hold a trial lecture and defend his doctoral thesis for the degree of philosophia Doctor (PhD.) Thesis title Recucing Energy Consumption of UAVs in Icing Conditions with Active Electrothermal De-Icing Protection Systems Trial Lecture Related Challenges in Aviation: Surface Icing, Ice Shedding, and ContrailContinue reading “Defense of thesis – 20 July – Joachim Wallisch (online stream)”

Doctoral candidate Nicolas Carlo Müller at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics and UAV Icing Lab will hold a trial lecture and defend his doctoral thesis for the degree of philosophia Doctor (PhD.) Thesis title: Ice accretion effects and ice protection systems for UAV propellers Trial lecture: Pathways to Certifying UAVs for Icing Conditions: Technical Requirements (civil & defense), MeansContinue reading “Defense of thesis – 15 July – Nicolas Carlo Müller”

Doctoral candidate Bogdan Løw-Hansen at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics and the UAV Icing Lab will hold a trial lecture and defend his doctoral thesis for the degree of philosophia Doctor (PhD.) Thesis title Modelling and validation of atmospheric icing effects on small fixed-wing UAV’s Trial Lecture Optimal Excitation Maneuvers for UAV System Identificatoin in Closed Loop Flight Time andContinue reading “Defense of thesis – 13 July – Bogdan Løw-Hansen”

**NEW PUBLICATION** In one of our recent icing wind tunnel campaigns, the NTNU UAV Icing Lab investigated how ice accretion affects the performance of a UAV propeller in collaboration with Ubiq Aerospace and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimii (UQAC). What happens when a drone rotors are exposed to icing conditions and start to develop irregularContinue reading “How Ice Affects Drone Propellers: Results from Icing Wind Tunnel Experiments”

**NEW PUBLICATION** The adverse effects of in-flight icing on small fixed-wing UAVs are a research topic with increasing interest. While the research primarily focuses on clean wing configurations, the impact of leading-edge ice accretion on the aerodynamic performance with deflected control surfaces has been neglected. However, ice accretion has a significant effect on the flowContinue reading “UAV Icing: Icing Effects on Control Surfaces”

I’m looking forward to speaking at UNC 2026, a key Nordic industry event bringing together UAV operators, regulators, and technology developers. The conferene is 9-10 Febuary in Oslo, Norway. Icing remains one of the most underestimated risks in UAV operations across the Nordics, often grounding missions far beyond Arctic regions. Even small amounts of iceContinue reading “UAV Icing at the Unmanned Nordic Conference”