Based on Marine feedback, the portable generator extends mission range and endurance, supports distributed operations, and cuts maintenance and logistics demands, all while operating quietly with zero emissions.
The system has undergone field trials at multiple training bases between 2022 and 2025, with the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O) ensuring it meets operational needs and aligns with the Corps’ energy strategy.
“H-SUP increases lethality by keeping us powered and hard to find,” stated Capt. Joshua Ashley, US Marine Corps and E20 Science and Technology Analyst.
“We ensure this technology meets the needs of marines on the ground – quiet, efficient, and reliable power that supports expeditionary operations.”
The generator’s fuel cell technology was originally developed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and has been combat-tested in drones during the H2 Stalker programme, where it delivered longer flights, greater power, and reliable performance.
“Warfighter feedback is a critical component of the technology development process and will be used to inform requirement definition and future research and development activities,” added Ashley.
The H-SUP generator was developed in partnership with E20, Naval Air Systems Command, Office of Naval Research, the Department of Defense (DoD), plus industry partners Northwest UAV and Noble Gas Systems.
For the US military, H-SUP builds on a longer history of hydrogen and fuel cell trials.
Last year, the US Army expanded its $1.9m partnership with Celadyne Technologies, moving into a second phase that will integrate 50kW hydrogen fuel cells into support vehicles.
Operation off-grid: Introducing hydrogen to defence applications
While hydrogen is widely viewed as a key part of the decarbonisation puzzle, its benefits beyond its carbon-reducing potential attract a broader church of prospective end users.
Regularly across the pages of H2 View, readers will have seen calls from policymakers and industry to see hydrogen’s benefits used to bolster energy security, against an ever-strained geo-political backdrop.
In the military context, Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Richard Griffiths, Project Lead for the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Strategic Command, told H2 View, that the MOD was viewing hydrogen as a potential energy vector that could complement operational output, reducing diesel dependency.
“Whether it’s in the UK or, importantly, overseas, because every time you use diesel you have to establish a supply chain for that diesel,” he explained.
It comes as part of the MOD’s Defence Operational Energy Strategy, which looks at the use of alternative fuels while maintaining or even improving operational effectiveness.
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