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China Flies World's First Megawatt Hydrogen Turboprop Engine
The 7.5-tonne uncrewed aircraft flew 36 km in 16 minutes, marking the world’s first test flight of a megawatt-class hydrogen turboprop.
- On Saturday, a 7.5-tonne unmanned cargo aircraft powered by the AEP100 megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop completed a 16-minute maiden flight in Zhuzhou, Hunan, marking the world's first test flight of such an engine.
- Engineers from the Aero Engine Corporation of China confirmed the engine passed full ground-tests on March 29, validating the AEP100's liquid-hydrogen transport system and stable operation under full performance conditions.
- The flight establishes a "complete technological chain" for hydrogen-fueled aviation, covering core components to full engine integration and driving coordinated investment across green hydrogen production and infrastructure development.
- Despite the success, Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge, cautioned that liquid-hydrogen engines are "currently still in the exploratory stage," with cost and reliability challenges remaining.
- Hydrogen-Fueled technology will likely debut in low-altitude fields like unmanned air freight and island logistics, gradually expanding to regional and mainline aircraft as production costs decrease, experts said.
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China achieves first full-performance milestone in megawatt-class liquid hydrogen aviation engine
The AEP100 turboprop, independently developed by a research and development institute of Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), has successfully completed full ground-tests. It marks China's first liquid hydrogen engine to meet megawatt-level full-performance standards, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Sunday.
·Beijing, China
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Megawatt hydrogen turboprop engine completes maiden flight in central China
A 7.5-tonne unmanned cargo aircraft powered by China's AEP100, a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine, completed its maiden flight in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province on April 4. This marks the world's first test flight of such an engine. The 16-minute
·Beijing, China
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left4Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Left
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left
L 57%
C 43%
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