Collins Aerospace has completed the preliminary design review (PDR) for the European Union Clean Aviation HECATE program, which is working on new high-voltage distribution technologies that could apply to future hybrid-electric aircraft. HECATE, which stands for hybrid-electric regional aircraft distribution technologies, is now progressing towards demonstrating a 500 kilowatt (kW) powertrain to achieve the TRL5 level of technology readiness in 2025.
A consortium that includes engine maker Safran, Airbus Defence and Space, Leonardo, and several universities conduct the work. Collins, through its Applied Research & Technology organization and its Power & Controls business unit, leads the project’s steering committee, while Safran serves as technical coordinator.
The PDR has reached completion for both the power conversion and secondary distribution system developed by Collins. Safran also has reached the same stage for the demonstrator’s primary distribution, power management, and cabling.
Both Airbus and Leonardo provide input on possible airframer requirements and help with validation. According to the partners, all the main project requirements, including electrical distribution architecture, will meet TRL4 status and the critical design review by the end of this year.
The latest achievements with HECATE constitute part of a trio of announcements from Collins and RTX group siblings this week about progress with the new propulsion technology. The company has invested heavily in research and development that could ultimately lead to the 20-megawatt (MW) class powertrain needed for anticipated next-generation single-aisle airliners.
Airbus Helicopters has asked Pratt & Whitney Canada and Collins Aerospace to provide a hybrid-electric propulsion system for the PioneerLab technology demonstrator. The European aerospace group uses the twin-engine H145 rotorcraft, which has flown with other systems on board since 2023, to develop performance and safety improvements that could appear on new and existing helicopters.
One of the core targets of the PioneerLab centers on a 30% improvement in fuel efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Pratt & Whitney Canada will replace the H145’s existing Safran Arriel 2E turboshafts with a derivative of the PW210 engine that will work in tandem with a pair of Collins 250-kW electric motors and controllers through a common gearbox. It will deliver the motors to Airbus next year.
The RTX group partners aim to start test flights with the configuration in 2027 from the Airbus Helicopters facility in Donauwörth, Germany. The team plans to evaluate how the electric motors provide high torque capability during flight phases, including takeoff and landing, and how to optimize the overall performance of the hybrid powerplant.
Collins is developing the 250-kW motors and controllers at its Electronic Controls and Motor Systems center of excellence at Solihull in the UK. The UK government-backed Aerospace Technology Institute has supported the work to bring a family of products to market that can scale up or down for a variety of aircraft.
Learnings from Pratt & Whitney's involvement in the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator, Scalable Turboelectric Powertrain Technology (STEP-Tech), and sustainable water-injecting turbofan (SWITCH) programs have guided the engine company's preparation of the PW210 turboshaft. Phill Godfrey, Collins’s chief sustainability officer, told media ahead of this week’s air show that RTX is combining expertise across the group to accelerate cuts in carbon emissions with improved propulsion efficiency, better power management, and lighter, more efficient aircraft systems.
On the eve of this year’s Farnborough International Airshow, RTX reported that it has validated the sustained operation of the thermal engine for STEP-Tech, as well as the electrical generator, battery system, and propulsors to demonstrate how energy gets transferred between the components through the high-voltage electrical network. The modular demonstrator program will evaluate prototypes for distributed propulsion concepts in the 100 to 500 kW class that could scale upward to 1MW and higher for applications such as eVTOL and blended wing body aircraft.
In work conducted at the RTX Technology Research Center in East Hartford, Connecticut, each of STEP-Tech’s components underwent testing and the program team conducted a first engine run at partial power and checked the integration of electrical systems. The company said it has validated the program’s battery system and is ready to start running the powertrain demonstrator’s thermal engine and use electrical power produced by the turbogenerator to charge the batteries used to drive the propulsor motors.