Representatives of the European company Airbus announced plans to conduct full-fledged flight tests of its largest passenger airliner, the A380, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the Financial Times reported. The first stage of testing the modernized aircraft is planned to be carried out in 2026 – such a short time is necessary for the company in order to put into operation the first zero-emission aircraft by 2035. Especially for this, the European giant entered into a partnership agreement with CFM International, which develops and manufactures the corresponding hydrogen-powered engines.
Airbus added that the need to actively work towards hydrogen arose due to the growing pressure on the aviation industry – many countries want to reduce environmental pollution by reaching zero emissions in this segment of transport by 2050. It may seem that aircraft companies still have plenty of time for testing, but in fact, in the aviation market, tests, tests and upgrades take a lot of time – much more than, for example, in the automotive market.
“To reach the target by 2050, the industry must take action now, and we are,” said Gael Meheust, CEO of CFM International.
Airbus also said that their A380 passenger liner will retain its four turbines after the upgrade, while the fifth engine, adapted to run on hydrogen fuel, will be located in the rear fuselage. At the same time, which is quite expected, the company will have to solve many technical problems. For example, liquid hydrogen weighing 400 kilograms must be stored in four separate tanks at a temperature of -253 C, so the aircraft will have to be equipped with a new cryogenic system. But engineers believe that this problem can be solved.
Source: Trash Box
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