WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - An aircraft powered by a megawatt-class hybrid-electric engine developed in collaboration with NASA and built by GE Aerospace, demonstrated flight of an innovation that can inform new generations of fuel-saving aircraft power systems.
Mounted to a Saab 340B aircraft, the engine flew at Farnborough International Air Show in the United Kingdom. It was the public debut of a system that has in recent months made historic test flights, becoming the first hybrid electric-powered aircraft to fly above 30,000 feet.
'This achievement reflects what NASA does best in aeronautics: we explore bold possibilities, validate them through rigorous research and testing, and work with industry to turn breakthrough ideas into technologies that bring real value for the American people,' said Laurie Grindle, director of the Aeronautics Division within the agency's Research and Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The testing leveraged work done through NASA's former Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project and the agency's ongoing Subsonic Vehicle Technologies and Tools project - years of collaborative research that included key testing at NASA test facilities.
The engine integrates electric motors, a gas turbine, and energy storage capabilities. It was designed to demonstrate the capacity to power an aircraft around the size of a regional-class jet, reducing fuel burn and costs without sacrificing performance. The unit's technology and designs are expected to be used to help develop future hybrid systems that could lower airline operating costs.
The demonstration flight came after years of rapid development for the technology. For NASA, it also validates work that stretches back to a time when hybrid aviation propulsion seemed almost impossible.
'This is the culmination of more than 15 years of work, and we did that because it's going to have an impact for aircraft that will help reduce energy use and help U.S. companies and the public,' said Ralph Jansen, aerospace engineer at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
In recent years, aviation has seen a boom in small aircraft and drones powered by electrical systems drawing from batteries. But large passenger and cargo planes require complex engines capable of supplying massive amounts of power. So more than a decade ago when NASA began contemplating hybrid systems, just the possibility of using electric motors to supplement some energy was a daunting engineering challenge.
Through the agency's Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration award, GE Aerospace and NASA worked with researchers to develop lighter and more efficient power systems and shrink key components - sometimes dramatically.
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