The hydrogen-powered Raider UAV displayed at the stall of Heven at IDEX 2025. (Janes/Amit Kalra)
Florida-based Heven launched a hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) named Raider at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2025 held in Abu Dhabi from 17 to 21 February.
The Raider UAV, the latest platform in the H2D family of UAVs, is designed for extended endurance, flexible payload integration, and field-ready modularity.
Platform refinement
Benzion Levinson, CEO and founder of Heven, told Janes on 19 February that the launch of the Raider UAV is the culmination of years of effort and refinement to the design. The platform has modular components that aid in rapid assembly and reduced maintenance burden. The Raider has been designed for carrying Class 1 heavy payloads. The UAV makes use of two hydrogen fuel cells of 3 kg each; 1 kg of hydrogen is consumed for a 12 hour flight, Levinson added.
Hydrogen has a greater energy density than batteries or gasoline, which Levinson said allows the Raider to fly for 12 hours where a differently fuelled UAV could only fly for three hours. Burning hydrogen also puts out low noise and infrared signatures, Levinson said, and with specialised equipment can be isolated anywhere in the world from readily available materials.
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