Learn about Hydroplane’s Hydrogen-Powered Rotor Test At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
- HYSKY Society
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Hydroplane has successfully demonstrated full rotor flight speed on its hydrogen fuel cell–powered rotor transmission test stand, marking a significant milestone toward hydrogen-powered rotorcraft operations under its XTech8 Phase 1 SBIR contract with the U.S. Army.
Building on last fall’s contract award, Hydroplane integrated its modular hydrogen fuel cell powerplant with a 23-foot rotor testbed to validate performance and mission relevance for vertical-lift and extended-range UAV/UAS use cases.
“This phase of the program was focused on validating both the performance and mission relevance of our lightweight hydrogen fuel cell powerplant for vertical lift and extended-range UAV/UAS operations,” said Dr. Anita Sengupta, CEO of Hydroplane. “Since the contract award last November, we’ve developed and tested a full-scale rotary wing testbed, integrating our electric-propulsion system with a rotor transmission and 23-foot rotor to achieve stable operation at flight-representative rotor speeds.”
Hydroplane’s modular hydrogen fuel cell powerplant is engineered to replace internal combustion engines in certified, experimental, and next-generation aircraft as well as auxiliary power units. Its quiet operation, reduced thermal signature, and scalable architecture align closely with Department of Defense priorities for resilient, logistically flexible energy solutions across the battlespace. Beyond its Army work, Hydroplane was named a winner of the 2024 xTechSearch 8 competition for its mobile hydrogen-based energy storage concept, and has completed SBIR contracts with the U.S. Navy and two with the U.S. Air Force under the Agility Prime initiative.
Dr. Anita Sengupta will share these developments in two technical talks at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025:
Vertical Flight Society’s 19th Annual Aircraft Symposium (Propulsion & Energy Session 1)
Saturday, July 19, 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm CDT, UW Oshkosh Reeve Memorial Union
Hydroplane H₂-Powered Rotorcraft Forum
Monday, July 21, 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm CDT, EAA Museum – Vette Theater (B-8)
For more information
(Top image: Credit — Hydroplane)
For the latest news, insights, and content regarding hydrogen aviation, please join the following HYSKY Society channels: YouTube, X, and LinkedIn.
Join HYSKY Connect: The Hub for Hydrogen Aviation Leaders
HYSKY Connect is a premier membership network for professionals, innovators, and companies driving the hydrogen aviation revolution. It's more than a membership—it's a gateway to exclusive benefits, strategic visibility, and meaningful collaboration within the hydrogen aviation ecosystem.
HYSKY Connect VIP Membership Includes:
Complimentary sponsorship of FLYING HY 2025
Company listing in the HYSKY Connect member database
Discounts on HYSKY summits and educational programs
Direct messaging access to other members
Complimentary legal and technical consultations
Ongoing visibility across HYSKY media, events, and website
To become a HYSKY Connect VIP: https://connect.hysky.org/
Comments