Airbus' H145-based PioneerLab technology demonstrator.
FARNBOROUGH—Airbus Helicopters has selected a hybrid-electric propulsion system to be developed by RTX companies Pratt & Whitney Canada and Collins Aerospace for its H145-based PioneerLab technology demonstrator.
Replacing the helicopter’s existing twin Safran Arriel 2E engines, the hybrid propulsion system will integrate a modified PW210 turboshaft with two Collins 250-kW electric motors and controllers through a common gearbox. RTX says the hybrid-electric configuration is designed to optimize engine performance and improve efficiency over the entire flight envelope, with the electric motors providing high torque capability for varying power requirements such as takeoff and landing.
As well as the potential of hybrid-electric propulsion, the PioneerLab project aims to demonstrate aerodynamic improvements to enable up to 30% improved fuel efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide emissions compared to a conventionally powered aircraft. Technologies to be tested include a rotor strike alerting system—a lidar-based sensor that monitors for obstacles that come within proximity to the main rotor blades. The system already has been tested on Airbus’ H130 FlightLab, but trials on PioneerLab involve a configuration developed for a heavier, twin-engine platform.
Other advances will include the use of alternative, lower-environmental-impact materials such as carbon fiber featuring more natural, wood-like components rather than plastics. One of the first uses of such a material will be for a non-structural nose cover for the aircraft. Test flights of the hybrid-electric propulsion system are targeted to begin in 2027 at Airbus Helicopters’ site in Donauwörth, Germany.
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