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Safran Helicopter Engines will supply its TG600 turbogenerator as a key element in Electra’s in-development EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft. The 600-kilowatt generator, which is based on Safran’s Arrano turboshaft, will operate in conjunction with the Evolito electric motors that Electra selected last year.
The two companies held a ceremonial signing at the Farnborough Airshow to formalize the partnership, which builds on an earlier memorandum of understanding, with Electra agreeing to purchase an initial 250 examples of the TG600.
Safran Helicopter Engines CEO Cédric Goubet noted the company’s years-long work exploring electric technologies and said, “The time has come to drive this to fruition and to start leveraging all we have built. This is a first launch in development with a serial product, a serial application, a serial airplane.”
Electra CEO Marc Allen added, “The partnership is the foundation on which we’re building.”
The turbogenerator combines a gas turbine with a pair of GENeUs electric generators made by Safran’s Electrical & Power business unit. Earlier this month, Safran Helicopter Engines carried out its first bench test on the TG600 at its facility in Bordes, France. Goubet said after ground tests, flight testing will take place directly on the EL9 later in the decade.
On July 10, the FAA granted Electra the G-1 issue paper that establishes the certification basis for the nine-passenger aircraft as the company works toward completing Part 23 type certification by 2030. Electra applied for the issue paper seven months ago and has now established the regulatory foundation for technologies including the hybrid-electric propulsion system, its blown-lift wing for takeoffs and landings in just 150 feet, and fly-by-wire controls.
According to Electra, the EL9 will enable new air routes that could replace thousands of road journeys in markets including the U.S. The Virginia-based company’s recent Direct Aviation Market Outlook identified potential demand for between 12,000 and 16,000 aircraft in this regional air service sector over the next 10 years.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the signing at the Farnborough International Airshow.
Safran Helicopter Engines will supply its TG600 turbogenerator for Electra’s in-development EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft under a life-of-program production agreement announced on July 15. The 600-kilowatt turbogenerator, which is based on Safran’s Arrano turboshaft, will power the eight electric motors from Oxford, England-based Evolito that Electra selected last year.
Executives from the two companies held a ceremonial signing at the Farnborough International Airshow on Tuesday to formalize the partnership, which builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 and includes an initial order for 250 TG600s.
Safran Helicopter Engines CEO Cédric Goubet noted the company’s years-long work exploring electric technologies and said, “The time has come to drive this to fruition and to start leveraging all we have built. This is a first launch in development with a serial product, a serial application, a serial airplane.”
Electra CEO Marc Allen added, “The partnership is the foundation on which we’re building.”
The turbogenerator combines a gas turbine with a pair of GENeUS electric generators made by Safran Electrical & Power. Earlier this month, Safran Helicopter Engines carried out the first bench test at its facility in Bordes, France, of the flight-ready TG600 that will power the EL9’s initial flight tests. Goubet said flight testing will take place directly on the EL9, which Electra expects to fly for the first time in late 2027 or early 2028.
Meanwhile, Electra said on July 10 that the FAA has closed the G-1 issue paper establishing the certification basis for the nine-passenger aircraft, seven months after the company submitted its Part 23 type certification application in November 2025. The milestone sets the regulatory foundation for technologies such as the hybrid-electric propulsion system, the EL9’s blown-lift wing for takeoffs and landings in just 150 feet, and fly-by-wire controls, as the Manassas, Virginia-based company works toward entry into service in 2030.
The same day, Electra confirmed it will build the EL9 in Springfield, Ohio, one of two aerospace manufacturing investments in the state announced at the show alongside Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. The $850 million investment in what Electra called the “anchor” production site for the EL9 will create 1,975 jobs. Located at AirPark Ohio next to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, the facility is expected to build up to 800 aircraft per year, starting at a rate of 400 from 2030.
According to Electra, the EL9 will enable air routes that could replace car trips across the U.S. The company’s Direct Aviation Market Outlook, published in May, identified potential demand for 12,000 to 16,000 aircraft in this regional air service market between 2030 and 2040.
In the second Ohio announcement, Denver-based Beehive Industries said it will invest $70 million to expand its operations in the southwest of the state, where it makes 3D-printed jet engines for uncrewed aircraft, adding more than 200 jobs in the Cincinnati area. The company’s Frenzy engine is starting full-rate production backed by a $29.7 million U.S. Air Force contract.
Last month, Beehive announced plans to more than double its metal additive manufacturing capacity and acquired two precision machine shops, Able Tool Corporation and Planet Products Corporation, to establish a production machining center in the Cincinnati region. Together, the company said, these investments are building the manufacturing capacity required to produce more than 8,000 engines annually.