Pratt & Whitney advances sustainable hybrid-electric propulsion technology

Pratt & Whitney has a significant presence in India and operates its India customer training center (CTC) in Hyderabad and a centre of excellence (CoE) for R&D in Bengaluru.

Hyderabad: Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), a business unit of Pratt & Whitney, announced plans to advance its hybrid-electric propulsion technology and flight demonstrator programme as part of a $163 million CAD investment (over Rs 950 crore), supported by the governments of Canada and Quebec.

Pratt & Whitney has a significant presence in India and operates its India customer training center (CTC) in Hyderabad and a centre of excellence (CoE) for R&D in Bengaluru.

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“We see hybrid-electric propulsion systems as one of the key routes to making aircraft of the future even more fuel efficient. We expect that smaller aircraft, including regional airliners, will be the first to benefit from this technology, creating a clear opportunity for India to grow these segments in a sustainable manner,” said Ashmita Sethi, president and country head, Pratt & Whitney.

“India has one of the newest and most fuel-efficient aircraft fleets in the world, powered by our GTF, V2500, PT6 and PW100 engine families. So, India’s aviation sector is superbly positioned to lead a sustainable flying roadmap in the future,” she added.

Aircraft efficiency

The new hybrid-electric propulsion technology will drive significant improvements in aircraft efficiency by optimising performance across the different phases of flight, allowing the demonstrator to target a 30 per cent reduction in fuel burn and CO 2 emissions, compared to a modern regional turboprop airliner.

P&WC is working with De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada) to integrate this hybrid-electric technology into a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 flight demonstrator. This demonstrator will include an advanced electric motor and controller from Collins Aerospace, also a Raytheon Technologies business.

Combining advanced technologies developed by P&WC and Collins, this project is a successor to Project 804, launched in 2019 as a joint development programme between the two companies and provides a foundation for this new demonstrator programme to build upon.

P&WC will target ground testing in 2022, leading to flight testing of the Dash 8-100 demonstrator in 2024.

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