A unique power plant based on hydrogen fuel cells for unmanned aerial vehicles has been created at the "Hydrogen Energy Center" in Sakhalin.
The key technical solution was the use of titanium plates instead of traditional graphite. The use of titanium significantly reduces the weight of the drone's structure. This affects the duration and stability of the flight.
Titanium is also highly resistant to corrosion and durable, which makes the technology competitive for aviation applications, as reported by the ANO "Sakhalin - Island of Opportunities."
A hydrogen drone can stay in the air for up to 3.5 hours, compared to 40-50 minutes for similar battery-powered devices. Its flight range reaches 120 kilometers (compared to 20-30 km), and operation is possible in the temperature range from -25 to +40 °C. Refueling takes about five minutes, while battery charging takes from one to two hours.
New types of drones can be used for monitoring pipelines, power lines and the ecological condition of territories, including forest fires and the study of water bodies. They are also in demand in agriculture, scientific expeditions in the Arctic, the delivery of medicines to remote areas, as well as in the defense sector for reconnaissance and protection of infrastructure facilities.
By 2030, hydrogen drones may occupy up to 20% of the global market in the segment of long and extreme flights.
Earlier,www1.ru reported that the "Gonet" companypresented new equipment for unmanned aerial systems.
Read materials on the topic:
Starlink in Russian: MTS plans to deploy 5G base stations on low-orbit satellites
Russian businesses will be granted access to Earth remote sensing data
Now on home
Start of deliveries scheduled for 2027
Over 51,000 new motorcycles were sold in Russia in 2025
The car will take at least a year to assemble
The application's audience has reached 20 million users
The model will be included in the list of cars for taxis, price - from 2.25 million rubles
All parking lots of the "Administrator of the Moscow Parking Space" are connected to the service
The cars will be supplied to the Moscow Transport Service Directorate
Deliveries to India may begin in 2028
The technology provides automated search for all types of defects in power units
The plane flew 500 km, accelerating to 425 km/h
The plant stated that the information about the termination of purchases for models 6 and 8 is not true
Scientists are using the "Ekran-M" installation