Ukrainian Raybird Makes Combat Debut as Hydrogen Drone

Ukraine has quietly crossed a new line in military drone history. The Raybird reconnaissance UAV, developed by Ukrainian manufacturer Skyeton, has become the world’s first hydrogen electric drone confirmed to fly real combat missions, as UNITED24MEDIA reported.

According to Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, Skyeton announced on January 15 that the hydrogen electric version of the Raybird entered full operational service in December 2025 with a unit of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

This marks the first known use of hydrogen powered aerial reconnaissance in an active war zone.

This is not a lab test or a demo flight. The aircraft is flying real missions over the front.

Hydrogen propulsion reaches the battlefield

To make hydrogen propulsion viable in combat, Skyeton engineers had to redesign the Raybird’s fuselage architecture from the inside out. Hydrogen storage required new internal layouts while preserving balance, structural strength, and manufacturability at scale. This was not an experimental bolt on. The updated airframe was built for serial production.

Skyeton says the hydrogen electric system combines the reliability and simplicity of electric motors with long endurance, one of the Raybird’s defining traits.

The standard Raybird, powered by an internal combustion engine, can stay airborne for more than 28 hours. The hydrogen electric variant currently achieves about 12 hours of endurance, with engineers actively pushing toward a 20 hour target.

Skyeton CEO Roman Kniazhenko emphasized that endurance remains non negotiable.

Raybird routinely performs deep reconnaissance missions that exceed 10 hours, carrying advanced sensor payloads far behind enemy lines. Any propulsion change must preserve that mission profile.

Why hydrogen matters in combat drones

Beyond endurance, hydrogen electric propulsion delivers several tactical advantages that matter on a modern battlefield.

The electric motor produces a much smaller thermal signature than a combustion engine, making the drone harder to spot with infrared sensors. Acoustic output is also significantly lower, reducing detectability from the ground. Skyeton also notes a wider operational altitude envelope compared to the conventional version.

Both Raybird variants are certified for extreme environments, operating from minus 35 degrees Celsius to plus 55 degrees Celsius. That range matters in Ukraine, where winter cold and summer heat both push equipment to its limits.

Skyeton says customers will receive the hydrogen electric Raybird as a fully integrated system, not an experimental platform. This signals confidence that the technology is ready for sustained operational use.

From battlefield workhorse to global contender

The Raybird is no newcomer. The platform has logged more than 350,000 combat flight hours across the war, giving it one of the largest real world data sets of any reconnaissance UAV in service today.

DroneXL has already covered the Raybird’s growing international profile, including its positioning as a potential replacement for the United Kingdom’s troubled Watchkeeper surveillance drone, which is expected to retire in 2027.

The hydrogen electric variant only strengthens that case by pushing endurance, stealth, and future readiness forward.

DroneXL’s Take

This is a quiet but serious milestone. Hydrogen powered flight has lived mostly in press releases and prototypes, but Ukraine just dragged it into combat reality. The Raybird’s hydrogen electric deployment is not about green credentials.

It is about stealth, persistence, and survivability. If Skyeton reaches its 20 hour endurance target, this platform could reset expectations for long range reconnaissance drones, and signal where military UAV propulsion is heading next.

Photo credit: Skyeton