GE Aerospace has announced an industry first in advancing the future of flight by demonstrating the viability of more-electric aircraft engine systems for aviation. In collaboration with NASA, BETA Technologies and Boeing, GE Aerospace conducted the first hybrid electric flight above 30,000 feet, reaching altitudes comparable to those used by passenger commercial aircraft. During testing, the team’s longest single flight in hybrid electric operation lasted more than two hours.
The test campaign was enabled by GE Aerospace’s fully integrated megawatt-class, multi-kilovolt hybrid electric propulsion system, developed through the NASA Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project.
H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., Chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace, said the aviation industry’s first high-altitude hybrid electric flight represents a significant milestone and thanked NASA, BETA Technologies and Boeing for their collaboration in advancing hybrid electric technology to address customer requirements for greater efficiency, durability and range.
The right side of the EPFD aircraft, a Saab 340B, was modified for flight testing with a hybrid electric system installed inside an inverted nacelle that provides additional ventilation. The system includes GE Aerospace-developed motor/generators, power converters and inverters, controllers, Avio Aero gearboxes, Dowty propellers, Unison heat exchangers, torque sensing and engine harnesses, along with a CT7 engine. BAE Systems provided the batteries, while Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences supplied the complete nacelle.
Pilots from GE Aerospace and BETA Technologies supported the flight tests in the United States, where the milestone was achieved. BETA Technologies served as the systems integrator, while BETA pilots subsequently ferried the aircraft to the United Kingdom for the airshow, operating in hybrid electric mode during each leg of the journey.
Kyle Clark, Founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, said the hybrid electric system improved high-altitude performance and climb capability while creating a flying laboratory to support future hybrid electric designs. He also highlighted the GE Aerospace team’s design, testing and operational expertise and the importance of the ground and flight test campaigns, including the aircraft’s North Atlantic crossing.
Public demonstration flights are planned as part of the daily Farnborough flying displays. Airshow attendees can also view the aircraft on static display before the afternoon flight schedules.
Graham Drozeski, CTO of Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, said the team had achieved several first-of-a-kind advancements in integrating a high-voltage electrified propulsion system into an aircraft operating at commercial altitudes, describing the achievement as a significant step forward for hybrid electric technology.
Hybrid Electric Benefits
A hybrid electric engine system combines an electric powertrain with a traditional gas turbine to optimize power management during different phases of operation. Hybrid electric systems are compatible with different fuel types and advanced aircraft engine architectures such as Open Fan.
Mohamed Ali, President and CEO of GE Aerospace Commercial Engines & Services, said hybrid electric technologies offer durability and efficiency. He added that operating a hybrid electric engine system at previously unachieved altitudes demonstrates the capabilities available for next-generation aircraft using ready technologies.
