Story ID: 452
French Partners Plan Hybrid-electric Genav Aircraft
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Daher, Safran, Collins, and Ascendance announce alliance in Paris
Word Count: 341
Daher, Safran, and Collins Aerospace are joining forces with French start-up Ascendance to develop hybrid-electric propulsion systems for general aviation. The partners announced the joint effort on Wednesday at the Paris Air Show, saying they will prioritize technology for six- to 10-seat aircraft.
Called TAGINE (Tentative dans l’Aviation Général d’Introduction de Nouvelles Énergies), the two-year project has financial support from France’s civil aviation authority (DGAC) and the civil aviation research council (CORAC).
TAGINE will build on work conducted for the recently concluded EcoPulse hybrid-electric technology demonstrator, a collaboration between Daher, Safran, and Airbus. The TAGINE program partners pledged to present key conclusions and milestones at the 2027 Paris Air Show.
Daher will provide its multirole Kodiak 900 turboprop as a use-case platform for the hybrid-electric architectures being evaluated. The partners believe that some 27,000 existing aircraft in this category could be suitable for conversion.
“This could be suitable for different aircraft manufacturers, and we decided we could not work alone on this,” Eric Seinruirer, v-p of technology and future programs at Safran Helicopter Engines, told AIN. “It’s about understanding the best compromise [in terms of propulsion options] between the aircraft and the mission. It’s always a balance.”
Safran Helicopters and Safran Tech are studying the feasibility of a hybrid propulsion system based on a new turbine engine and an electric motor. The system would combine electric and thermal power to drive the propeller.
Collins Aerospace is leading the aeroacoustic optimization studies for the propeller and will be involved in the integration of the propulsion system and propeller as well. The company is also designing a fully electric pitch change system for propellers used in general aviation aircraft in the same class as the Kodiak.
Ascendance, which is developing a hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft called the Atea, will allow the project partners to use its hybrid operating system for energy optimization. It is also responsible for identifying the battery energy requirements.