Rolls-Royce's Small Gas Turbine for Hybrid-electric Flight to Commence Testing

Rolls-Royce said it will start testing the new small gas turbine that has been specifically developed to power hybrid-electric flight.

The engine is part of a turbogenerator system that is being developed for the Advanced Air Mobility market. This includes electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) Aircraft for Urban Air Mobility and Commuter Aircraft applications up to 19 seats.

The turbogenerator system will complement the Rolls-Royce Electrical propulsion portfolio by delivering an on-board power source with scalable power offerings between 500kW and 1200kW enabling extended range on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and later, as it becomes available, through hydrogen combustion. This will open up new, longer routes than electric battery powered aircraft can support as of today.

The turbogenerator can be used in serial or parallel hybrid applications. It is well suited to recharge batteries as well as provide energy to electrical propulsion units directly and therefore enables aircraft to switch between power sources in flight. The research and development of this technology is being partially funded by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

This engine will be tested on SAF in the coming months and will be used for the commissioning of Rolls-Royce’s test facility in Dahlewitz. The Rolls-Royce Power Gearbox test facility has been modified to accommodate testing of the new engine, and to confirm the engine’s technical attributes.