A 7.5-ton unmanned cargo aircraft powered by the AEP100, a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop, completed its maiden flight on April 4 at Lusong Airport in Zhuzhou, Central China’s Hunan Province.
This is the world’s first trial flight of an aircraft equipped with this type of turboprop. The AEP100 was developed by AECC Hunan Aviation Powerplant Research Institute, a research institute of Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC).
An unmanned cargo aircraft powered by the AEP100, a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop, completes its maiden flight on April 4, 2026, in Zhuzhou, Central China’s Hunan Province. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The successful flight marks the initial application of the engine. It shows that China has mastered the full technology chain of a hydrogen-fueled turboprop from the core component manufacturing to complete engine integration. The flight also validated the engineering reliability of matching the hydrogen-fueled power system with the airframe, laying a critical foundation for applying hydrogen energy in the aviation industry.
In the future, as the cost of green hydrogen further declines, the economic and energy‑security advantages of hydrogen-fueled aerial engines will become more evident. These engines are expected to be used initially in low-altitude scenarios, such as unmanned air cargo transport and island logistics, and then in manned regional and trunk aircraft.
Because of this, the entire industrial chain, from upstream green hydrogen production, through midstream storage, transportation and refueling infrastructure, to downstream high-end equipment and new materials, will be coordinated and upgraded, thereby promoting the green, low-carbon and high-quality development of China’s aviation industry.
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
