France’s Daher Group has launched a partnership with Ascendance Flight Technologies, a Toulouse-based start-up, to drive research into the hybridization of propulsion for Daher aircraft.
“Hybridization is the best way to show that you are going forward,” said Didier Kayat, Daher Group CEO, at a Paris Airshow media briefing on Tuesday.
Ascendance CEO Jean-Christophe Lambert said that the research would likely benefit other OEMs, as Daher has seen its research and development budget quadruple since 2017 and Ascendance has raised €34 million ($37.2 million) in the past two years.
Daher’s TBM pressurized single-engine turboprop family grew with the introduction of the TBM 960 last year, while another aircraft expected to benefit from the hybridization effort is the Kodiak utility aircraft series. Operators have taken delivery of more than 1,400 TBM and Kodiak aircraft.
“As a major player in general aviation, Daher Group is committed to achieving the goals around decarbonizing aviation by 2050 and taking significant steps towards that goal during this decade," said Kayat. "The new collaboration illustrates the 360-degree innovation strategy we’re now implementing to make that happen.”