Wright Electric reports that it had completed development of the rotor for its second-generation motor, WM2500, as part of the ARPA-E ASCEND program. WM2500 aims to be the world’s most powerful (2.5 megawatts) and power-dense (16 kW/kg) electric aircraft engine. High power enables WM2500 to deliver sufficient takeoff thrust for a large commercial aircraft. High power density facilitates a lightweight package for aviation.

A motor has two main parts: the rotor, the part that rotates, and the stator, the part that stays stationary. The rotor on WM2500 has been completed.

Wright Electric has started ground-testing the electric propulsion system it is developing for aircraft in the 100-seat class. The company announced on April 25 that engineers have begun development work with its Wright Electric Aircraft Engine Test Cell (WEAETC) at its headquarters in Albany, New York.

The new test cell will evaluate the 2-megawatt Wright 1A motor with both a Lycoming LF507-F turbofan and a propeller from a C-130 military aircraft. In a second phase of ground testing, the company will start work on the 2.5MW WM2500 motor, featuring an integrated custom drive, that is being developed with backing from the U.S. government’s ARPA-E Ascend program.

Wright’s founder and CEO Jeffrey Engler told AIN that his team is focusing on the LF507 engine because this is the powerplant for the existing BAe 146 family of regional airliners that the company sees as suitable for conversion to electric propulsion. It also sees potential to electrify the widely-used C-130 military logistics aircraft.

CFM reports that it is at a stage of the Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) program in which it is doing real testing on real hardware and making real progress.

As the RISE program’s game-changing technologies evolve from promising design concepts to functioning components and systems, the pace of testing is accelerating.

“We are at a stage of the program in which we’re doing real testing on real hardware and making real progress,” says Mohamed Ali, vice president and general manager of engineering for GE Aerospace.

“It’s full speed ahead for the RISE program in 2024,” adds Arjan Hegeman, general manager of advanced technology for GE Aerospace. “It’s a period of innovation unlike anything GE Aerospace has seen before.”

Unveiled in 2021 by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, the RISE program is advancing technologies to support flight that aims to be 20% more fuel efficient with 20% lower carbon emissions than current commercial engines. It’s a challenge, and one that’s critical to meeting the aviation industry’s long-term climate goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 for commercial flight. More than 100 tests have been completed so far.

Tests on the program’s next-generation high-pressure turbine, which were recently conducted in a demonstrator engine at GE Aerospace headquarters in Evendale, Ohio, confirmed that it can deliver significant fuel efficiency improvement and increased durability. “It demonstrated a generational step-change improvement in our turbine component cooling technology,” Hegeman says. The technology will be useful in the compact core GE Aerospace is developing for the RISE program through NASA’s Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) program, which …

(AUDIO available at full article.)
The company just announced plans to buy 50 electric airplane engines from Washington company magniX.

Harbour Air is making a significant push to go green, announcing on April 22 it has signed a letter of intent to purchase 50 electric airplane engines.

“We are excited to accelerate the adoption of electric aviation technology and further our journey towards a sustainable future,” company CEO Bert Van der Stege said in a press release.

Harbour Air is North America’s largest seaplane airline, and operations include year-round flights between Victoria’s Inner Harbour and Vancouver, Richmond and Pitt Meadows, as well as summer flights to Whistler.

Microchip Technology in Chandler, Ariz. has introduced a new integrated actuation power solution to meet the aviation industry’s push for sustainability and decarbonization and the adoption of electric actuation systems in aircraft.

The solution combines companion gate driver boards with Microchip’s Hybrid Power Drive (HPD) modules, available in silicon carbide or silicon technology with a power range of 5 kVA to 20 kVA.

The integrated system maintains a consistent footprint regardless of power output and is designed to be used in various applications including flight controls, braking, and landing gear electrification.

The devices undergo rigorous testing to meet aviation standards outlined in DO-160, ensuring high reliability. They feature multiple protection features such as short circuit protection and under-voltage lockout.

KULR unveiled a commitment exceeding $1 million with H55 Inc. (“H55”), a pioneer and global leader in electric propulsion. H55 will employ KULR’s unique Thermal Runaway Shield (“TRS”) within its propulsion systems that equip fleets of industry behemoths such as Pratt & Whitney and CAE Inc. (NYSE: CAE). According to the agreement, the initial delivery phase began in Q1 2024. Embedding KULR’s TRS into H55’s Electrical Propulsion System (“EPS”) is critical for aligning with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”) safety protocols. H55 harnesses KULR’s innovative TRS to construct systems that adhere to stringent safety measures while retaining efficiency and energy density. EASA recently approved the H55 EPS solution, paving the way for the critical compliance demonstration phase of their certification program (https://h55.ch/news/).

Michael Mo, CEO of KULR, reflected on the significance of this collaboration. “Working with H55 epitomizes our commitment to setting new standards for safety in electric aviation. With H55, we reinforce our role in…

The roadmap to net zero carbon emissions can be achieved through aircraft technology development; operations and infrastructure improvements; market-based measures and offsets; and the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), opined Cebu Pacific chief strategy officer, corporate strategy office, Alex Reyes during the recent Aviation Festival Asia (AFA) held in Singapore…

Safran’s EngineUs 100 electric motors do not fit the FAA’s existing 14 Part 33 requirements for aircraft engines, so special conditions are being proposed.

The FAA this week opened a consultation on proposed special conditions for certifying Safran’s EngineUs 100 electric motors. The propulsion systems have been selected for use on multiple new electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, including the nine-passenger eSTOL model being developed by Electra and Bye Aerospace’s eFlyer family.

In a document published on March 20, the U.S. air safety agency said that special conditions will be required since the characteristics of electric engines are not adequately covered by the requirements of the existing 14 CFR Part 33 rules developed for turbine and reciprocating engines. It has given interested parties until April 19 to comment on its proposals for handling the type certification application that France-based Safran Electrical & Power filed back on Nov. 27, 2020…

About 350 aerospace engineers listened for 30 minutes to the innovative work Collins Aerospace is doing in the hybrid-electric propulsion of aircraft when it came time for questions.

Electric vehicles have been around for years, said one of the engineers, so what has Charlotte-based Collins Aerospace learned from the makers of the Prius?

“Here’s one of the dilemmas the aviation industry has,” answered Henry Brooks, president of Power and Controls at Collins Aerospace. “Cars run on the ground and airplanes don’t.”

Brooks leads one of six Collins Aerospace business units from his office in Charlotte. He says the aviation industry has learned a lot of lessons from EV makers as it enters the “third era” of aviation, which started just 120 years ago with the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. First there were piston-driven engines, then jet turbines and now, in the next few years, airplanes will move to hybrid-electric propulsion, says Brooks…