Seattle-based AeroTEC says it’s been selected by Pratt & Whitney Canada to lead the modification and flight test of an experimental hybrid-electric demonstrator aircraft at its Flight Test Center in Moses Lake, Wash.
The RTX demonstrator is a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 aircraft that will be modified to use a thermal engine built by Pratt & Whitney Canada and a 1-megawatt electric motor developed by Collins Aerospace. Both Pratt & Whitney and Collins are RTX businesses.
Pratt & Whitney and its partners have also developed a mobile charging unit for the plane. The 200-kilowatt-hour batteries will be supplied by H55, a Swiss spin-off from the Solar Impulse venture that sent a solar-powered airplane around the world in 2015-2016. H55 is supported by RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of RTX.
The RTX hybrid-electric demonstrator program is targeting up to 30% improved fuel efficiency compared to today’s regional turboprops. In-flight demonstrations could help open the way for the propulsion system to be used on multiple platforms in the future. A date for the first flight test hasn’t been set.
This week’s announcement of AeroTEC’s involvement came in conjunction with the Paris Air Show, where Pratt & Whitney announced that it tested the integrated propulsion system and batteries to full power on the ground in Quebec. AeroTEC said modification design will be supported by engineers at its Seattle headquarters, while all flight tests and modifications will take place in Moses Lake.
“AeroTEC’s mission is to accelerate the evolution of aerospace, and our collaboration with Pratt & Whitney Canada on the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator project is a clear example of that commitment,” AeroTEC President Justin Morigeau said in a news release. “In our role leading the modification and flight testing of the experimental aircraft, we’re proud to support the demonstration of cutting-edge technologies that will define the future of sustainable flight.”
AeroTEC has been involved in similar aircraft conversion projects over the years. In 2020, it helped Everett, Wash.-based magniX put an all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan airplane through its paces. Another collaboration with magniX led to the test flight of a hydrogen-powered De Havilland Dash 8-300 for Universal Hydrogen in 2023. AeroTEC also supported the flight test of Eviation’s all-electric plane in 2022. All those flight tests took place in Moses Lake.
AeroTEC is currently working with magniX on a NASA-funded project to turn a 40-year-old De Havilland Dash 7 turboprop into a hybrid-electric demonstrator aircraft.
Source: Geek Wire
