SerpApi.Org
Pratt & Whitney Canada has begun ground testing of the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator program. The flight-standard propulsion system and propeller is being put through its paces in Longueuil, Quebec.
According to the company, following completion of the ground test, the hybrid-electric propulsion system will be installed on the de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 experimental aircraft. The first flight is expected in 2027.
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"Assembling the final, flight-standard propulsion system brings us one step closer to proving hybrid-electric technology in flight," said Jean Thomassin, executive director of new products and services introduction for Pratt & Whitney Canada, in a news release. "We are advancing thermal engine and hybrid-electric technologies which could enhance fuel efficiency and performance for a wide range of future aircraft applications."
Pratt & Whitney, a division of RTX, has been building aviation powerplants since 1925. Today the company supports more than 90,000 in-service engines through a global network of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities.
Details
The hybrid-electric propulsion system combines an advanced Pratt & Whitney Canada thermal engine with a 1-megawatt electric motor and motor controller developed by RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace, along with a battery system supplied by H55 S.A., a Swiss developer of certifiable aviation energy storage systems.
The electric motor will provide additional power during demanding flight phases such as takeoff and climb, and the hybrid-electric architecture enables the propulsion system to operate more efficiently throughout the flight mission. The project aims to demonstrate up to 30 percent improved fuel efficiency for a typical 250 nm regional turboprop mission.
The RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator program has accelerated collaboration between leading aerospace industry companies and research institutions within Canada and abroad, including de Havilland Aircraft of Canada, GKN Aerospace, AeroTEC, Ricardo, National Research Council of Canada, and Innovative Vehicle Institute.
The project is supported by the governments of Canada and Quebec. Additionally, its propulsion system verification phase is supported by Strix, the organization managing Canada's Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT), with funding from the government of Canada, as part of its fifth wave of innovative research projects.
