(ECNS) – The world’s first hydrogen-powered multirotor drone “Tianmushan No. 1” with a range of 100 kilometers completed its maiden flight in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province on Monday.
The drone “Tianmushan No. 1” is currently being tested. (Photo courtesy of Tainmushan Laboratory)
The drone has a self-developed hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system. It has an empty weight of 19 kilograms, a maximum payload of six kilograms and a maximum flight time of four hours.
According to Xu Weiqiang, chief designer of “Tianmushan No. 1,” the drone is equipped with the ability to take off and land autonomously at the push of a button, as well as the ability to operate continuously up to 100 kilometers beyond visual range.
Compared with traditional industry-specific drones, the new drone has broad market application prospects, especially in terms of continuous long-distance operation in the extremely cold weather of northern China.
So far, the drone has undergone several tests. In January this year, flight tests were conducted in extremely cold conditions around the city of Genhe in northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, making it the first multirotor drone to fly for more than 100 minutes at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
In March, the drone conducted a demonstration operation to check for natural gas leaks in a pipeline in northern Shaanxi, flying continuously for 50 kilometers – a breakthrough in the industry.
On August 22, it completed endurance flight tests in a low-oxygen high-altitude environment at an altitude of over 4,500 meters in Nyingchi city, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region.
The maiden flight ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Tainmushan Laboratory)
The company is currently conducting demonstration operations in various scenarios, including oil and gas production, overhead power line inspection, emergency rescue, forest protection and hydrological monitoring.
“Tianmushan No. 1” was developed by the “Development and Application of High-Performance Airborne Hydrogen Energy System” team of Tianmushan Laboratory. It is characterized by its ultra-long flight endurance, adaptability to extremely low temperatures and carbon-free environmental protection.
