Collins Aerospace for its HECATE (Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft Distribution Technologies) at its Applied Research & Technology (ART) organisation in Ireland
HECATE is a Clean Aviation strategic pillar for future regional aircraft platforms, with a 37-partner consortium comprising key industrial players such as Airbus, Safran, and Leonardo, as well as European research institutions and universities. Awarded a total of €34M in European funding, HECATE will develop technologies that will fundamentally transform the electrification of future hybrid-electric regional aircraft, a key component of the industry’s long-term goals to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
HECATE is enabling this step-change in technology for hybrid-electric aircraft through the development of a scalable electrical power distribution network on board that can safely handle the high power and high voltage levels required for electric propulsion – ultimately up to several MW – and medium to low power and voltage levels for non-propulsive loads. HECATE will demonstrate the developed technology bricks in a >500 kW hybrid-electric architecture in ground tests by 2025, achieving TRL5 in the process. Through this, it will deliver a set of enabling technologies and provide a scalability roadmap towards a flight demonstration in 2028 and entry into service in 2035 of a new hybrid-electric regional aircraft.
HECATE is a vital stepping-stone towards achieving aviation’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.