Engines
Aircraft Engine Makers Mostly Agnostic on Hydrogen
Pratt & Whitney, along with rivals such as GE, Rolls-Royce, and MTU, see multiple paths to air transport's green future, with hydrogen only one of these.
MTU Aero Engines is working with German aerospace research agency DLR to develop a technology demonstrator to power a Dornier 228 aircraft with hydrogen. (Image: MTU Aero Engines)
MTU Aero Engines is working with German aerospace research agency DLR to develop a technology demonstrator to power a Dornier 228 aircraft with hydrogen. (Image: MTU Aero Engines)

Much of the energy behind the growing momentum for hydrogen propulsion in aviation is now coming from start-up companies. Many of these have assembled small teams of well-educated, generally young engineers as they scramble to secure the investment they need to fuel their ambitious business plans. As their own cheerleaders, these companies generally are pre-disposed to emphasizing the positives around hydrogen, while portraying the potential negatives as solutions waiting to happen.