Beyond Aero’s first wind tunnel campaign marks a key step from preliminary design toward experimentally validated aircraft aerodynamics.
Toulouse, France – January 19th, 2026 - Beyond Aero has successfully completed its first wind tunnel test campaign, a major milestone towards the end of the Preliminary Design phase of its hydrogen-electric aircraft. Conducted over five weeks in autumn 2025 at the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW) Low-Speed Facility (LST) in Marknesse, the campaign focused on one of the program’s most critical challenges: ensuring predictable aerodynamic performance, stability, and control for an aircraft integrating gaseous hydrogen tanks outside the fuselage.
Validating a hydrogen-driven aerodynamic architecture
Hydrogen propulsion introduces architectural constraints that fundamentally shape aircraft aerodynamics. For safety reasons, Beyond Aero’s design integrates gaseous hydrogen tanks externally, creating complex aerodynamic interaction zones at the wing-fuselage junction and wingtip — regions where even minor geometric effects can significantly influence lift, drag, and stability.
While numerical simulations provided initial confidence, these interactions could not be fully de-risked through computation alone. As has been the case since the earliest days of aviation — from Gustave Eiffel’s pioneering aerodynamic experiments on its tour, to today’s large-scale facilities — wind tunnel testing remains essential to validate new aircraft architectures under real flow conditions.
The objective of this first campaign was not only performance optimization, but also confirmation that the hydrogen-driven external configuration behaves in a stable, predictable, and controllable manner across the intended flight envelope.
While numerical simulations provided initial confidence, these interactions could not be fully de-risked through computation alone. As has been the case since the earliest days of aviation — from Gustave Eiffel’s pioneering aerodynamic experiments on its tour, to today’s large-scale facilities — wind tunnel testing remains essential to validate new aircraft architectures under real flow conditions.
The objective of this first campaign was not only performance optimization, but also confirmation that the hydrogen-driven external configuration behaves in a stable, predictable, and controllable manner across the intended flight envelope.
From numerical models to experimental proof
The wind tunnels tests were performed on a 1:8 scale model and generated more than 60,000 data points. The campaign investigated aircraft performance, stability, and control across a wide range of configurations including multiple flap settings, control surface deflections, and off-nominal conditions such as high angles of attack, sideslip, up to deep stall. Testing was conducted at speeds up to 80 m/s (288 km/h).
Measurements combined global aerodynamic forces and moments, captured via a six-component balance, with detailed local pressure data from more than 230 pressure taps distributed across the model. The resulting dataset enabled robust correlation with numerical simulations and provided high-fidelity experimental reference data for the aircraft’s external aerodynamics.
AI accelerated the development of tools to facilitate correlation and visualization across large experimental and numerical datasets, and to optimize conventional aerodynamic validation processes. These tools helped engineering teams identify trends, assess sensitivities, and converge more efficiently.
The results confirmed the robustness of Beyond Aero’s aerodynamic design choices. Beyond validating numerical models, the campaign confirmed the primary aerodynamic assumptions associated with the hydrogen architecture, enabled detailed characterization of critical interaction zones, and reduced residual aerodynamic uncertainty ahead of geometry freeze and subsequent development phases.
Measurements combined global aerodynamic forces and moments, captured via a six-component balance, with detailed local pressure data from more than 230 pressure taps distributed across the model. The resulting dataset enabled robust correlation with numerical simulations and provided high-fidelity experimental reference data for the aircraft’s external aerodynamics.
AI accelerated the development of tools to facilitate correlation and visualization across large experimental and numerical datasets, and to optimize conventional aerodynamic validation processes. These tools helped engineering teams identify trends, assess sensitivities, and converge more efficiently.
The results confirmed the robustness of Beyond Aero’s aerodynamic design choices. Beyond validating numerical models, the campaign confirmed the primary aerodynamic assumptions associated with the hydrogen architecture, enabled detailed characterization of critical interaction zones, and reduced residual aerodynamic uncertainty ahead of geometry freeze and subsequent development phases.
The development of a hydrogen-electric aircraft requires precise aerodynamic design. The strong correlation between experimental results and numerical simulations, in the linear domain, gives us a solid validation of our numerical process.
Delphine Bonnaud, Head of Aerodynamics at Beyond Aero
This wind tunnel campaign delivered high-quality experimental data that directly supports our aerodynamic models and design decisions. It contributes to the validation of the aircraft’s Preliminary Design Review by providing a solid experimental reference for the external aerodynamics.
Luiz Oliveira, Chief of Engineering at Beyond Aero
About Beyond Aero
Beyond Aero is building the first electric business aircraft powered by hydrogen propulsion, enabling six passengers to fly up to 800 NM (1,500 km)—five times farther than a battery-powered aircraft. Founded in December 2020, the company is redesigning the architecture of an aircraft around hydrogen-electric propulsion, focusing on fuel cell technology, gaseous hydrogen tank integration, and advanced cooling systems. With offices in Toulouse, Paris, and Los Angeles, the startup boasts a team of over 80 highly qualified engineers from leading aerospace companies.
Beyond Aero has secured over $50 million in funding, backed by investors such as Giant Ventures, Bpifrance, and prior supporters like Initialized Capital, Female Founders Found, and 7 Percent Ventures. Beyond Aero also completed Y Combinator in 2022. The company has secured $1bn in Letters of Intent (LOIs) and recently completed France’s first manned, fully hydrogen-electric flight. Beyond Aero is a member of the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition and the Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation, underscoring its commitment to electrifying aviation with hydrogen propulsion.
Beyond Aero has secured over $50 million in funding, backed by investors such as Giant Ventures, Bpifrance, and prior supporters like Initialized Capital, Female Founders Found, and 7 Percent Ventures. Beyond Aero also completed Y Combinator in 2022. The company has secured $1bn in Letters of Intent (LOIs) and recently completed France’s first manned, fully hydrogen-electric flight. Beyond Aero is a member of the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition and the Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation, underscoring its commitment to electrifying aviation with hydrogen propulsion.
