FutureFlight
France Flies Hydrogen-powered UAV
The Rapace H2 drone draws power from a closed cathode liquid-cooled hydrogen fuel cell developed by France’s atomic energy agency.
The Rapace H2 is pictured in flight
The Rapace H2 combines an Atechsys UAV with a hydrogen power source. (Photo: EAE)

At the end of May the hydrogen-powered Rapace unmanned air vehicle (UAV) took to the air for the first time. It was the first flight of a drone with closed cathode and liquid-cooled fuel cell outside of the U.S.

The Rapace H2 project is a collaboration between the instructors/researchers of the air school research center (CREA), part of the military l’Ecole de l’Air et de l’Espace (EAE, air and space school) at Salon-de-Provence and CEA-LITEN, the innovation laboratory for energy technologies/new and nanomaterials of the French atomic energy agency.