France has tested the first hydrogen gas turbine aircraft engine developed in the 21st century.

During the tests, the engine was connected to a cryogenic (below -250 °C) liquid storage system to evaluate the seamless integration of the propulsion system, replicating all the functions of the aircraft.

“This is a significant step forward in the transition to fully decarbonized aviation engines, which will be ready for flight as soon as the world begins mass production of hydrogen,” said Damien Fove, CEO of Turbotech.

“We have demonstrated that a complete high-tech solution for a zero-emission power plant in flight is possible and can be directly integrated into lightweight aircraft,” added Safran's Vice President Pierre-Alain Lambert.

While foreign media have referred to the engine developed by Turbotech, Safran, and Air Liquide as the world's first gas turbine hydrogen engine, it's worth noting that in the late 1980s, Soviet engineers already utilized the NK-88 turbojet engine, which operated on liquefied hydrogen, in a flying laboratory—the Tu-155 aircraft.