Out of necessity, Ukraine has become a leading global centerpiece for the latest in military drone technologies. In addition to battery-electric and gasoline-powered UAVs, Ukrainian innovators are also beginning to explore the advantages of hydrogen fuel cells. The nation’s potential for developing a secure, flexible, and localized supply of green hydrogen is also part of the mix. The Skyeton Fuel Cell Solution One Ukrainian drone firm to watch is Skyeton. The company’s gasoline-powered Raybird reconnaissance drone can stay aloft for more than 28 hours, a record that’s hard to beat. Still, internal combustion engines run hot and noisy, and Trump’s war in Iran has also underscored the vulnerability of military supply chains in global fuel markets. Battery-electric UAVs are one alternative. Fuel cells can also reduce both the noise and the heat signature, with the additional advantage of operating more efficiently at higher altitudes and longer duration compared to batteries. That explains why Skyeton persisted in exploring fuel cells even though it already has internal combustion engines in its pocket. Following a two-year R&D effort, last December, Skyeton’s full-scale fuel cell reconnaissance UAV began flying combat missions with a duration topping 10 hours. In January, Skyeton released some details about its work. “During the R&D phase of the hydrogen hybrid project, Skyeton engineers resolved several issues that had complicated stable operation under various conditions,” Skyeton reported, listing: “Climate Resilience: For the combat missions typically assigned to the Raybird, the company ensured the hydrogen-hybrid power plant can operate in the environment as effectively as the ICE version. Both versions of the UAV function in any climate within a temperature range of -35°C to +55°C (-31°F to 131°F). “Hydrogen Permeability: To address this, they implemented solutions to improve connections, pressure reduction, and the overall ergonomics for the Raybird UAS operator. “Infrastructure and Logistics: Skyeton will provide the hybrid Raybird (ACS-3) as a ready-made, self-sufficient solution. There are two scenarios: a) the unit receives pre-filled tanks and swaps them like cartridges; b) the unit receives a compact mobile unit that produces hydrogen on-site as needed.” The Green Hydrogen Connection Next steps for Skyeton include bumping the duration of the fuel cell Raybird up to 20 hours. Meanwhile, if you caught that thing about “compact mobile unit that produces hydrogen on-site as needed,” that’s where green hydrogen comes in. Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen gas pushed from water in electrolysis systems, ideally powered by renewable electricity. Although green hydrogen is currently more expensive than conventional hydrogen sourced from natural gas or coal, the renewable electricity angle provides water electrolysis with the advantage of remote, self-sustaining operation independent of swings in global fuel markets (see more green H2 background here). Under a more peaceful scenario, the advantage of remote operation would counterbalance the cost factor, opening up new opportunities for humanitarian relief and emergency management without the noise and pollution of diesel generators. Military applications are also self-evident, regardless of cost. Here in the US, for example, the firm Sesame Solar has partnered with the drone manufacturer Heven AeroTech to develop a transportable solar-powered nanogrid to produce green hydrogen for its fuel cell UAVs. A similar approach is also emerging in ground-based robotic systems. What Can Ukraine Offer In addition to raising the international profile of Ukrainian drone innovators, Trump’s catastrophic war in Iran has also sparked a fresh wave of interest in renewable energy around the globe. That includes Europe, of course, where natural gas from the Middle East was helping untie the continent from dependency on fossil fuel imports from Russia. Now the Middle East connection has gone up in flames, literally. Meanwhile, Ukraine has a gold mine of wind, solar, and biomass assets to offer the European market. Formerly hooked up to the Russian electricity grid, Ukraine disconnected itself from Russia and connected to the European grid just two days after Vladimir Putin launched his attack in February of 2022. That summer, Ukrainian policymakers also began shaping the case for admission to the European Union based partly on the nation’s exportable renewable energy resources, including the potential for exporting green hydrogen to Europe. More Green Hydrogen For Ukraine The Ukrainian organization Razom We Stand has been advocating for a post-war recovery focused on distributed, decentralized and sustainable energy resources. That would help support a domestic, sustainable hydrogen industry for export to Europe, and in 2021, Ukraine laid the groundwork for just such a hydrogen plan — only to be interrupted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Still, signs of activity continue to emerge. In one particularly interesting development, the Bulgarian electrolyzer manufacturer Hydrogenera recently announced the delivery of a 2-megawatt electrolyzer to a green hydrogen project located in Ukraine. If all goes according to plan, the facility will be in operation next year, with the hydrogen earmarked for export to industrial users in Germany. “This project demonstrates how regional production capacity can be developed to reliably serve industrial demand across European markets at scale, with the engineering rigour required for multi-megawatt applications,” Hydrogenera emphasized, noting that it received a grant from the German government to move ahead with the project. As for the future, the International Energy Agency has pointed out that wartime considerations aside, Ukraine’s green hydrogen industry faces competition in the European market, particularly from Morocco. And then, of course, there’s the war. “A number of hydrogen projects had been proposed before Russia’s full-scale invasion, but all were in the early stages and need reassessment,” IEA reported in March of 2025. “Ukraine has a larger renewable resource capacity than Germany (a potential importer of hydrogen derivatives), but smaller than Morocco (an alternative supplier to Europe),” IEA noted. The agency also advised that the “high cost of capital in Ukraine could offset lower costs from higher capacity factors.” Water supply is another limiting factor, exacerbated by Putin’s decision to target reservoirs in Ukraine for destruction. Still, IEA also notes that Ukraine has significant, existing gas connections to Europe that could be repurposed for green hydrogen along with considerable underground gas storage assets. Keep an eye on a feasibility study launched in a partnership featuring the Japanese branch of the green hydrogen and ammonia producer Hynfra. The two-phase study will begin with an integrated green hydrogen and ammonia system located in Poland, before moving on to a hookup with renewable energy resources in Ukraine. Photo (cropped): Zero emission, low-noise hydrogen fuel cell combat drones are emerging in Ukraine alongside a trickle of activity in the green hydrogen field (advanced hydrogen drone courtesy of Skyeton).