Safran Helicopter Engines is developing the 600-kilowatt turbogenerator propulsion system for the prototype of Electra Aero’s nine-passenger, hybrid-electric short-takeoff-and-landing (HeSTOL) aircraft, the companies said last week at the 2023 Paris Airshow.
Earlier this month, Electra rolled out a two-seat technology demonstrator vehicle, which uses blown lift via distributed electric propulsion. It plans to be ready to fly the full-scale prototype in 2025 as it advances toward FAA Part 23 certification in 2028.
According to Electra, the Safran turbogenerator is the heart of the as-yet-unnamed eSTOL’s hybrid-electric propulsion architecture. The turbogenerator includes a gas turbine based on Safran’s Arrano turboshaft engine driving two electric generators, as well as an electrical power management system.
“We’ve closely evaluated the advanced air mobility market, and we believe the Electra eSTOL offers groundbreaking capability in a practical design,” said Safran Helicopter Engines executive v-p of OEM sales Florent Chauvancy. “We will be bringing to their project all the expertise we have independently developed in the field of hybrid-electric propulsion, combining electric and thermal energy sources, to develop the right turbogenerator for Electra’s first nine-passenger prototype aircraft.”
J.P. “James” Stewart, Electra’s v-p and general manager, explained that “hybrid propulsion is key to providing emissions and cost reductions while preserving useful payloads, ranges, and speeds.”