Sustainable aircraft developer ZeroAvia will explore the feasibility of integrating hydrogen propulsion into a Cessna Caravan aircraft for the US Air Force.
The hydrogen aviator was selected by AFWERX for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to “address research questions with specific implications for the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).”
As part of the undisclosed grant, ZeroAvia will study how hydrogen-electric propulsion and autonomous flight systems could be integrated into a 3.6-tonne aircraft. The Cessna Caravan, a civilian aircraft made by Textron, will be the test platform.
Ultimately, DAF intends to evaluate how hydrogen technologies could be used in unmanned military applications, potentially reducing engine noise and thermal signature.
“The feasibility study will provide greater insight into how hydrogen fuel cell propulsion can reduce detectability and costs of air operations, enhance capability of autonomous air vehicles and derisk fuel supply in forward operating environments,” added Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO at ZeroAvia.
California-based Reliable Robotics, specialists in the remote operation of aircraft, will assist ZeroAvia in exploring relevant autonomous flight systems.
However, integrating enough hydrogen storage to achieve expected ranges for military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) without compromising payload or stealth could be a hurdle. Furthermore, investment in hydrogen infrastructure would also be required.
