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Demonstrator of an Electrified Modern Efficient Transport Regional Aircraft

Project description

Emission-reducing technologies for regional aircraft

Climate change is making it necessary to create new solutions for greener mobility that help reduce emissions related to aviation. The EU-funded DEMETRA project will demonstrate advanced technologies for regional aviation, aiming to enter service by 2035. Its goals are to validate hybrid propulsion for regional aircraft and to develop emission-reducing technologies. A hybrid powerplant using batteries will be tested. Ground tests will validate additional technologies, including a new propeller and cockpit controls. Certification is essential for regulatory approval, and insights from the flight prototype will help prepare these technologies for entry into service by 2035.

Objective

In a scenario where the climate change is becoming more and more important, it is pivotal to explore new solutions for a greener mobility that help reduce the emission related with aviation.
In this context, the DEMETRA project aims to demonstrate disruptive technologies for regional aviation with high level of maturity, targeting entry into service in 2035. The objective is the validation and feasibility of hybrid propulsion for regional aircraft, as well as the development of innovative technologies for emission reduction. A real scale solution for hybrid powerplant, powered by batteries, is developed and tested on a typical CS25 regional aircraft platform, with tailored modifications to integrate the hybrid powerplant and any necessary ancillary systems needed to validate TRL6 for such technologies. Besides the flight demonstration, other enabling technologies will be tested on ground to validate TRL5 at the end of the project. These technologies include: i) development of a more innovative propeller, together with nacelle and wing, tested in wind tunnel facilities to assess aerodynamic and acoustic performance; ii) development of new control logics and single lever to improve the cockpit operations, tested on specific bench representative of avionics system of the aircraft. Certification activities will also be at the centre of the project, to ensure that each technology identified show readiness not only for technology but also for certification maturation: the return of experience from the flight prototype preparation and the definition and assessment of CRL will help maturate the technologies and show readiness for entry into service in 2035.
With such large portfolio of technologies and demonstration, the DEMETRA project aims to prepare real scale solutions to accelerate the introduction of such technologies at the earliest and maximise the impact on the emission, thus identifying itself as a relevant player in the regional aviation decarbonisation context.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-JU-IA - HORIZON JU Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-Clean-Aviation-2025-01

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Coordinator

AVIONS DE TRANSPORT REGIONAL GIE
Net EU contribution
€ 9 913 267,00
Address
ALLEE PIERRE NADOT 1
31712 BLAGNAC
France
Region
Occitanie Midi-Pyrénées Haute-Garonne
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost
€ 21 142 415,84

Participants (12)