China Flies World's First Megawatt-Class Hydrogen Turboprop Engine (fuelcellsworks.com)
(Tuesday April 07, 2026 @03:00AM (BeauHD)
from the first-of-its-kind dept.)
- Reference: 0181393548
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/04/06/2242242/china-flies-worlds-first-megawatt-class-hydrogen-turboprop-engine
- Source link: https://fuelcellsworks.com/2026/04/06/clean-energy/world-s-first-megawatt-class-hydrogen-turboprop-engine-completes-maiden-flight-in-china
Longtime Slashdot reader [1]walterbyrd shares a report from Fuel Cells Works:
> China says the AEP100, a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine developed by the Aero Engine Corporation of China, has [2]completed its maiden flight on a 7.5-ton unmanned cargo aircraft in Zhuzhou, Hunan . The 16-minute test covered 36km at 220km/h and 300 meters altitude, with the aircraft returning safely after completing its planned maneuvers. State media described it as the world's first test flight of a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine. [...] The Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) says the result shows China now has a full technical chain for hydrogen aviation engines, from core parts to system integration, which is the kind of capability needed before any industrial rollout can begin.
You can watch a video of the test flight [3]here .
[1] https://slashdot.org/~walterbyrd
[2] https://fuelcellsworks.com/2026/04/06/clean-energy/world-s-first-megawatt-class-hydrogen-turboprop-engine-completes-maiden-flight-in-china
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxGhB-k93ws
> China says the AEP100, a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine developed by the Aero Engine Corporation of China, has [2]completed its maiden flight on a 7.5-ton unmanned cargo aircraft in Zhuzhou, Hunan . The 16-minute test covered 36km at 220km/h and 300 meters altitude, with the aircraft returning safely after completing its planned maneuvers. State media described it as the world's first test flight of a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine. [...] The Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) says the result shows China now has a full technical chain for hydrogen aviation engines, from core parts to system integration, which is the kind of capability needed before any industrial rollout can begin.
You can watch a video of the test flight [3]here .
[1] https://slashdot.org/~walterbyrd
[2] https://fuelcellsworks.com/2026/04/06/clean-energy/world-s-first-megawatt-class-hydrogen-turboprop-engine-completes-maiden-flight-in-china
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxGhB-k93ws
7.5 ton UAV testing flight (Score:2)
I'm genuinely curious if it's easier to get cleared on safety permit on a previously unflown engine in a 7.5 ton plane if the plane is unmanned rather than if it's manned.
I'd expect that at least in EU, it being an UAV would actually make it harder to get it cleared, but I don't know that for a fact and I wonder how it is there and elsewhere in the world.
Either way, pretty neat!
Re: (Score:3)
Also I'm struggling to find much info on this but I'm curious if anyone knows; would this specific plane be carrying cryogenic liquid hydrogen, or pressurized hydrogen gas?
Re: (Score:2)
Long distance a/c will tend to use cryo, to improve the energy volumetric efficiency (which is much worse than kerosene etc).
Re: (Score:2)
Long distance ocean shipping (weight-is-no-object) would use
intercalation (a saturated solution of hydrogen in a charcoal-like solid).
Neither liquid nor compressed gas can match intercalation for volumetric efficiency.
It's safer than compressed, as well as lower-storage-cost than refrigerated liquid.
Compressed gas is a no-no for flight safety
reasons: you can't depend on soft landings.
Re: (Score:2)
Cryogenic has bee used for the ground tests, so presumably it was here too.
Re: (Score:2)
Liquid hydrogen in a vacuum flask
Re: (Score:2)
It used to be the case that the testing permits for drones (esp. small ones) were easier to obtain, but the rules were recently tightened across the board. Be that as it may, for an aircraft of this size the paperwork needed by the Chinese FAA equivalent is nearly identical to the one for a manned unit.
You'll definitely need an air worthiness certification, which is hard to get and identical for both types. For the normal airplane, you'll also need a licensed pilot, for the drone - a licensed/certified oper