ZAL and H3 Dynamics to advance hydrogen-fuelled aviation

Singaporean scale-up to set up new site in Hamburg and research accelerated use of hydrogen in aviation
14 September 2023
Das ZAL Tech Center in Hamburg-Finkenwerder

The Center for Applied Aeronautics Research (ZAL) and the Singaporean tech scale-up H3 Dynamics signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on developing hydrogen use in aviation and advanced air mobility during this year's  Paris Air Show 2023, a press release said in August. H3 Dynamics, backed by Hamburg Invest, plans to open a new branch in ZAL as part of the Scaleup Landing Pad scheme. 

H3 Dynamics - close collaboration with aviation ecosystem.

"We are bringing together a global leader in H2 infrastructure with a global leader in H2 for aviation. We are particularly excited about H3 Dynamics' plans to establish a branch at the ZAL Tech Center, which illustrates the international appeal of our hydrogen infrastructure," said Roland Gerhards, CEO of ZAL. "The partnership between H3 Dynamics and ZAL will accelerate our European R&D and commercialization plans, which include close collaboration with Germany's manned and unmanned aerospace ecosystem," said Taras Wankewycz, CEO of H3 Dynamics.  The company hopes to increase production of ultra-light fuel cell systems for hydrogen electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). H3 Dynamics has other branches in Toulouse, Austin (Texas) and Singapore.

ZAL to boost sustainable aviation and innovations

Joint research in Hamburg will focus on accelerating the use of hydrogen in aviation, particularly for UAVs, commercial aircraft refuelling and ground operations. ZAL also plans to collaborate with the UAV company Wingcopter to develop a hydrogen-powered drone with longer operating times for medical logistics in remote areas. Earlier in May, the Singaporean scale-up Sungreen H2 partnered with Hamburg Invest to develop an extremely powerful electrolyser at ZAL. This allows ZAL to boost its efforts in sustainable aviation and technological innovations.

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