Megawatt hydrogen turboprop engine completes maiden flight in central China

A 7.5-tonne unmanned cargo aircraft powered by AEP100, China's independently developed megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine, successfully completed its maiden flight on Saturday at an airport in Zhuzhou, central China's Hunan Province.

This marks the world's first test flight of a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine.

Experts from the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) noted that the successful maiden flight highlights that China has now established a complete technological chain in hydrogen-fueled aviation engines, covering everything from core components to full engine integration. They added that this achievement lays the foundation for the industrial application of hydrogen energy in aviation.

As green hydrogen production costs fall, hydrogen aviation engines will show growing economic and energy security advantages, experts said. Hydrogen-fueled aero engine technology is expected to debut in low-altitude economy fields such as unmanned air freight and island logistics before gradually expanding to regional and mainline aircraft.

This technology will drive coordinated upgrades across industrial clusters, including upstream green hydrogen production, midstream storage, transportation and refueling infrastructure, and downstream high-end equipment and new materials. Ultimately, it will propel the green, low-carbon, and high-quality development of China's aviation industry, experts added.

Megawatt hydrogen turboprop engine completes maiden flight in central China

Megawatt hydrogen turboprop engine completes maiden flight in central China

Megawatt hydrogen turboprop engine completes maiden flight in central China

Megawatt hydrogen turboprop engine completes maiden flight in central China

Megawatt hydrogen turboprop engine completes maiden flight in central China

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a comprehensive review of security arrangements for foreign civilian flights to Israel, his office said in a statement on Sunday, following last week's attack aboard a Tel Aviv-bound Flydubai aircraft.

Netanyahu instructed National Security Council chief Shmuel Ben-Ezra to appoint an examiner to assess all aspects of aviation security concerning foreign flights to Israel, the office said.

Earlier on Sunday, Israel's Channel 12 reported that a preliminary Israeli investigation found that the co-pilot who attacked the captain of the Flydubai flight acted alone.

Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk on Wednesday. The United Arab Emirates authorities said the co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe during the flight before passengers and other crew members subdued him.

Netanyahu orders security review of foreign flights to Israel after Flydubai attack