Hydrogen-powered aircraft

The hydrogen-powered Tu-155 prototype made its first flight on 15 April 1988.

A hydrogen-powered aircraft is an aeroplane that uses hydrogen fuel as a power source. Hydrogen can either be burned in a jet engine or another kind of internal combustion engine, or can be used to power a fuel cell to generate electricity to power an electric propulsor. It cannot be stored in a traditional wet wing, and hydrogen tanks have to be housed in the fuselage or be supported by the wing.

Hydrogen, which can be produced from low-carbon power and can produce zero emissions, can reduce the environmental impact of aviation. Boeing acknowledges the technology potential and Airbus plans to launch a first commercial hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035.[1] McKinsey & Company forecast hydrogen aircraft entering the market in the late 2030s and scaling up through 2050, when they could account for a third of aviation's energy demand.[2]

  1. ^ Patterson, Thom (2022-07-05). "Boeing and Airbus: A Stark Contrast on Hydrogen". FLYING Magazine.
  2. ^ "Decarbonizing aviation: Making net zero possible". McKinsey. July 15, 2022.