New Delhi: Time Technoplast Ltd on Monday said it has successfully completed development and flight trials of an in-house hydrogen-powered drone integrated with a Type-III fully wrapped composite hydrogen cylinder and a hydrogen fuel-cell system, marking a key technological milestone for the company’s clean-energy ambitions.
In a regulatory filing, the company said the drone met all targeted endurance, payload and operational parameters during initial performance and validation tests. The trials represent the first successful integration in India of domestically manufactured composite hydrogen cylinders with fuel-cell-powered unmanned aerial platforms, paving the way for commercial deployment across civilian, industrial and defence applications.
The development builds on Time Technoplast becoming the first Indian manufacturer to receive approval from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) for Type-III hydrogen composite cylinders, and follows its memorandum of understanding with Drone Stark Technologies announced in August 2025. The project was executed within the committed timeline, the company said.
Highlighting the advantages of hydrogen propulsion, Time Technoplast said hydrogen-powered drones offer three to five times longer flight endurance than battery-based systems, faster refuelling, higher payload capacity and zero-emission operations, making them suitable for long-range and mission-critical use cases.
The company said the successful trials significantly expand its addressable market within the global drone ecosystem, estimated at about $30 billion currently and projected to grow to nearly $70 billion by 2033. Hydrogen-powered drones are expected to see rising adoption across agriculture, logistics, surveillance, defence and infrastructure inspection, aligning with India’s Green Hydrogen Mission and the ‘Make in India’ initiative.