Ukrainian Raybird reconnaissance drone with hydrogen power system deployed at front

Skyeton's Raybird hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle, featuring a hydrogen-powered electric engine, has begun combat duty with one of the units of Ukraine's defence forces.

Source: Skyeton, a Ukrainian drone producer company

Details: Since December 2025, the unmanned aircraft has been carrying out combat missions at the front as part of interagency trials.

The drone is used for long-duration reconnaissance missions. The use of hydrogen-electric propulsion reduces thermal and acoustic signatures, expands the operational altitude range, and increases the overall efficiency of the platform.

As of January 2026, this version of the drone can remain airborne for around 12 hours. The new UAV is capable of operating in a temperature range from −35 to +55℃.

The company explains that hydrogen fuel allows it to combine the advantages of an electric motor with long, uninterrupted flight endurance.

"For us, it is important to maintain a balance between these characteristics, as Raybird performs complex deep-reconnaissance tasks that require high-tech payloads, and the average duration of such missions exceeds 10 hours," said Skyeton CEO Roman Kniazhenko.

The company notes that during the development of the hydrogen-hybrid version, a number of technical challenges were addressed, including those related to power-plant operation in different climatic conditions, hydrogen's high permeability, and logistical issues.

Skyeton developed the new Raybird version with a hydrogen power unit on the basis of the serial Raybird (ACS-3) equipped with an internal combustion engine. That UAV could remain airborne for more than 28 hours and was also operated in a temperature range from −35 to +55℃.

Skyeton plans to supply the hybrid Raybird as a self-contained solution. Units will be able to use replaceable pre-filled tanks or mobile systems for producing hydrogen directly at the site of operation.

At present, the company's engineers are working to extend the flight endurance of the hybrid version to 20 hours. The drone is also preparing to undergo the codification procedure for broader use within units of Ukraine's defence forces.

Background:

• Earlier, Oboronka reported that Ukrainian company DeViRo had begun equipping its Leleka-100 reconnaissance drones with systems designed to evade Russian interceptor UAVs. The manoeuvring system, known as Stitch, includes an additional camera installed on the drone that detects Russian anti-aircraft UAVs and automatically issues an evasive command.
• It was also reported earlier that Ukrainian drone manufacturer TAF Industries had developed the Drone-Zhdun system for strike UAVs. The drone enters a sleep mode and becomes invisible to Russian electronic intelligence.

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