Hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicles are not a new concept. Drones running on hydrogen fuel have been in experimental forms for over a decade, but this is for the first time, a drone has been fully designed and deployed on full-scale combat duty in an active war zone.
The drone is a hybrid version of the Raybird USA developed by Skyeton and is deployed with the Ukrainian Defense Forces. It is designed for long-endurance and perhaps is, Ukraine’s first attempt at sending a hybrid hydrogen-powered drone into an active battlefield. It has been in the war zone “since December 2025, as part of interagency testing,” Skyeton informs.
Designer: Skyeton
As a hybrid version of the Raybird, the drone is powered by an electric motor running on electricity generated by hydrogen fuel. The UAV has been reengineered to adequately distribute the space and weight of the hydrogen tank system onboard. Being hybrid, the drone is quieter in comparison to other combustion engine options, thus it makes a great surveillance aircraft.
“We have converted two years of laboratory testing into a new aircraft concept: it is the same class and weight, but a completely redesigned concept based on electric propulsion,” Roman Knyazhenko, CEO of Skyeton said. “Hydrogen fuel is a solution that allows us to combine all the advantages of an electric motor… with the long-duration continuous flight that is a hallmark of our UAV, he added.
According to Skyeton, the hydrogen-based Raybird is not armed, it instead has radar and sensors in its payload for its identified long-range reconnaissance missions. The drone is created with a wingspan of up to 15 feet, and it has a total payload capacity of 23 kgs. Being a Raybird, the hybrid drone can cruise at over 110 km/h top speed, and the UAV can function in temperatures ranging between -35°C to +55°C. It has a flight endurance of 12 hours for now, which the Skyeton engineers are determined to increase to 20 hours.
According to the company, the hydrogen-powered Raybird on war duty can fly at an altitude of up to 18,000 feet to carry out its surveillance duties. Of course, for now, the drone running on a hydrogen-electric propulsion is being used for long-range reconnaissance missions by Ukraine, but its operational efficiency and environmental benefits suggest it can be useful in a range of other applications: both civilian and defense.
For its usability in different scenarios, Skyeton says it will provide the hydrogen-powered Raybird in two variants. A drone with pre-filled tanks that can be swapped like cartridges. Or paired with a compact mobile unit capable of generating hydrogen on site as required.
The post World’s first hydrogen-powered surveillance drone enters combat duty with Ukrainian Defense Forces first appeared on Yanko Design.