World's First! Our country's megawatt-level hydrogen fuel aviation turboprop engine successfully completes its maiden flight

On April 4, China Aero-Engine Group’s Hunan Power Machinery Research Institute successfully completed its maiden flight of a megawatt-class hydrogen fuel aircraft turboprop engine AEP100, which it independently developed, mounted on a 7.5-ton-class unmanned transport aircraft at Zhuzhou Lusong Airport.

It is reported that this is the world’s first test flight of a megawatt-class hydrogen fuel aircraft turboprop engine. During the entire flight, the engine operated normally and was in good condition. The airborne flight time was 16 minutes, the flight distance was 36 kilometers, the flight speed was 220 kilometers per hour, and the takeoff-and-landing altitude above ground was 300 meters. After completing the scheduled flight tasks, the aircraft returned safely and smoothly, and the maiden flight was a complete success.

Experts from China Aero-Engine Group said that this successful maiden flight achieves a stage leap for the independently developed megawatt-class hydrogen fuel aviation engine—from the technical phase to the engineering phase. It marks that, in China, the full technical chain—from core components to full-aircraft integration—has been opened up in the field of hydrogen fuel aviation engines. It has also verified the engineering reliability of the match between hydrogen-fuel power systems and flight platforms, laying a foundation for subsequent industrialized applications of hydrogen-energy aviation. This is an important breakthrough in advancing China’s green aviation power development from technological exploration to engineering practice.

Experts from China Aero-Engine Group also stated that in the future, as the cost of green hydrogen production further declines, the economic advantages and energy-security advantages of hydrogen-powered aviation will gradually become more apparent. Hydrogen fuel aircraft engine technology is expected to be applied first in low-altitude economic sectors such as unmanned air cargo transport and island logistics, and then gradually expanded to manned regional and trunk aircraft. This technology will drive coordinated upgrading across industrial clusters, including upstream green hydrogen production, midstream storage, transportation and refueling infrastructure, as well as downstream high-end equipment and new materials, continuously promoting the green, low-carbon, high-quality development of China’s aviation industry.