Blue Bear to Lead UK's INCEPTION Electric Propulsion Project

Blue Bear Systems Research is leading a new consortium to develop an electric propulsion system. The UK-based company, which has a background in unmanned aerial systems, has just secured a £2.8 million ($3.9 million) government grant from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) to support work on a project called Integrated Flight Control Energy Storage and Propulsion Technologies for Electric Aircraft (INCEPTION).

This week’s announcement about the program did not provide any information about the level of power the technology might deliver. According to Blue Bear CEO Yoge Patel, the design will be developed for both autonomous and piloted aircraft that could include eVTOL models, large cargo drones, general aviation aircraft, and so-called sub-regional airliners (generally categorized as carrying no more than 20 passengers).

A digital representation of the INCEPTION concept shows what appears to be a ducted fan that will be powered by electric motors. Superficially, its architecture looks similar to a conventional turbofan engine that might power a small business jet.

The project team includes Dowty Propellers, electric powertrain specialist Drive System Design, battery and fuel cell consultancy Ricardo, M&I Materials, the University of Cambridge’s Whittle Laboratory, and the University of Salford’s Acoustics Research Centre.

The ATI funding is part of a wider UK government initiative to support a goal set in 2020 of achieving zero carbon air transport by 2050. On January 28, the administration confirmed a £27 million matching grant for the new H2GEAR hydrogen propulsion system project that is being led by GKN Aerospace. It is also supporting ZeroAvia’s plans for hydrogen propulsion through the HyFlyer II program.