NASA Program Explores Hybrid-Electric ‘Double Bubble’ Airliner Concept

Design combines turbofan engines, electric tail fans, and a lifting fuselage.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, June 09, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

Electra’s concept for a 100-passenger commercial airliner combines turbofan engines, electric tail fans, and a “double bubble” fuselage. [Credit: Electra]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's AACES 2050 project is funding Electra's development of a next-generation hybrid-electric airliner concept, featuring turbofan engines, electric tail fans, and a "double bubble" fuselage designed to enhance lift.
This innovative concept is projected to improve efficiency by 17% over current 2050 forecasts and aims to provide a near-term electrification pathway for 100+ passenger commercial aviation.
Electra is one of five recipients of NASA contracts totaling $11.5 million, part of a broader initiative to accelerate advanced aircraft technologies in propulsion, fuels, and airframes for sustainable commercial aviation by 2050.

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A little-known NASA project is funding the study of a next-generation commercial airliner concept that combines turbofan engines, electric tail fans, and a unique “double bubble” fuselage designed to add lift.

Hybrid-electric regional aircraft developer Electra on Monday unveiled the concept, which per the company’s analysis could deliver a 17 percent improvement on current projections for efficiency gains through 2050. The concept was borne out of NASA’s Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050 project, which is funding studies into new aircraft technologies—including advanced propulsion, fuels, and airframes—which could reshape commercial aviation in the 2040s, 2050s, and beyond.