Hydrogen-powered drone passes flight test   

中国第一架纯燃料电池无人机首次试飞成功

不再伴有马达的轰鸣，几乎就在悄无声息间，一架以氢气为原料的纯燃料电池无人机，缓缓驶离跑道，跃向蓝天，在空中展翅翱翔。

(Ecns.cn) -- An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell was successfully tested near Shanghai's Fengxian District last week, according to Tongji University, which developed the aircraft.

The "Feiyue-1" has a 5-meter wingspan, weighs 20 kilograms and can fly for two hours at 30 km/h, the university said.

Xu Zhenyu, associate professor at Tongji University, said developing new-energy aircraft, especially hydrogen fuel-cell planes, has become the focus of much attention in response to environmental challenges.

A team of students at Tongji's School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics began research in 2008 and have solved many technical problems, Xu said.

The team established a lab with Shanghai-based Oxai Aircraft in 2011, a project that was co-founded by Qingpu District and Tongji University last year, he added.

Xu said the sample plane, which features green technology and easy maintenance, is suitable for environmental monitoring, battle reconnaissance.