One System. Any Drone. Skycharge and HHLA Sky Announce Strategic Integration Partnership
𝗔 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
This week, Skycharge and HHLA Sky signed a strategic integration partnership to redefine the future of automated drone charging infrastructure in Europe.
At the core of the collaboration is a full-system integration: Skycharge’s patented, contact-based docking and charging solution will be standardized across HHLA Sky’s drone fleet — including quadcopters, coaxials, hexacopters, and VTOL aircrafts.
“𝗛𝗛𝗟𝗔 𝗦𝗸𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲. 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲.”
Together, the two companies aim to accelerate the deployment of BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drone operations — across ports, urban environments, critical infrastructure, and logistics corridors.
𝗔 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝗲𝘁
Modern drone operators face a major challenge: fleet diversity. Different aircraft often require different charging systems, hangar sizes, or landing profiles — complicating infrastructure and driving up cost.
Skycharge eliminates this complexity with a single, universal drone charging platform designed to work across drone types, missions, and ground error tolerances.
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀
Multi-rotor quadcopters
Heavy-lift coaxial drones
Long-range VTOL aircrafts
Hybrid surveillance systems
𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀
Contact-based automatic docking with ±400 mm landing error tolerance (scalable to meters)
Fast and efficient dynamic charging up to 30A
Water-resistant and weatherproof charging surfaces
No moving parts, manual connectors, or manuakl operations
Industrial-grade certifications — proven across defense, energy, and logistics environments.
With this partnership, HHLA Sky drones will now natively operate with Skycharge's hangars and the (new!) BOS3 docking systems — forming a scalable, low-maintenance, and future-ready infrastructure layer.
Explore → Skyport Drone Charging Hangar
Explore → BOS1 and BOS3 Drone Charging Pads
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
This is more than hardware alignment. It's a foundational step toward autonomous, cross-platform drone infrastructure.
Operators can now deploy any HHLA Sky drone — across missions and geographies — using a unified, CE-compliant ground infrastructure. That means interoperability. Less commissioning and de-commissioning events, less risks, downtime, lower total cost of ownership, faster scaling across regions and applications.
𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀:
Fleet-Agnostic Compatibility – One ground infrastructure, many drones.
Future-Proof Infrastructure – Designed to support legacy, current and future drone models.
CE-Compliant Hardware – European safety and electrical compliance.
Backend Integration – Seamless link between charging hardware and mission control.
Low-Maintenance – Dock-and-charge each supported drone up to 44,000 cycles.
Whether your use case is surveillance, logistics, infrastructure inspection, or ISR, Skycharge delivers the ground infrastructure layer for round-the-clock autonomous flight.
Skycharge vs. Wireless Drone Charging: Egineering-Level Comparison
| Attribute | Skycharge | Wireless Charging |
|---|---|---|
| Power-to-Weight Ratio | 16g @ 750W 25g @ 1500W ✔ | ~100g ✖ |
| Footprint | 58×35×22 mm 60×47×25 mm ✔ | Larger due to coils/shielding ✖ |
| Charging Efficiency | ~92% end-to-end ✔ | Drops significantly if misaligned ✖ |
| Cross-Platform Compatibility | Universally compatible with various drone classes ✔ | Often limited or proprietary ✖ |
| Landing Tolerance | ±400 mm (scalable) ✔ | Requires landing within a few cm ✖ |
| Weatherproofing | IP-rated, field-tested ✔ | Sealed, contactless ✔ |
| Maintenance | Occasional cleaning; no moving parts ✔ | Fully sealed; can operate submerged ✔ |
| Reliability | 44,000+ mechanical cycles; robust electronics ✔ | No mechanical wear; stable electronics ✔ |
| Deployment Track Record | Field-proven since 2015 in real-world industrial operations ✔ | Primarily small-scale or lab deployments ✖ |
𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
The Skycharge infrastructure supports drone fleets across a variety of mission profiles:
Industrial Infrastructure Inspection: Remote inspections of ports, bridges, refineries, and energy sites — without manual charging or crew intervention.
Autonomous Security & Surveillance: 24/7 patrols using X4 and X11 drones, deployed from hangars, managed remotely and recharged autonomously.
Emergency Response: Rapid launch and recharge cycles for first responders, medical deliveries, or post-disaster situational awareness.
Cargo Delivery & Urban Logistics: Reliable contact charging at hubs and hand-off points for urban delivery drones and last-mile logistics platforms.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁?
The partnership is already in motion. Skycharge has successfully integrated with HHLA Sky’s X4 platform, using a modular retrofit kit that supports autonomous docking and charging.
Next deployments include:
X11 Hexacopter – Logistics and multisensor inspection
X25 Coaxial Drone – Long-range BVLOS cargo missions
V25 VTOL – High-endurance mapping and patrol
Something brand new is going to be announced in September… stay tuned!
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
The Skycharge × HHLA Sky partnership represents a leap forward for standardized and scalable, autonomous drone operations in Europe.
By standardizing the ground layer — across drones, use cases, and mission planners — the partnership enables an ecosystem of interoperable, cost-efficient, and future-ready drone fleets.
It’s not just about charging drones — it’s about unlocking continuous, autonomous operations with minimal infrastructure complexity.
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀
Skycharge GmbH
Skycharge develops contact-based drone charging systems and modular infrastructure for autonomous fleets. Its solutions are deployed across defense, energy, and logistics, and are backed by EU and US patents.
A subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, HHLA Sky provides certified autonomous drone and robotic systems for BVLOS operations, industrial inspection, and critical urban missions across Europe.
