PARIS—A quartet of French companies are joining forces to create an architecture for light, hybrid-electric general aviation aircraft.
At the Paris Air Show, Daher, Safran, Collins Aerospace, and startup Ascendance announced the two-year partnership, called TAGINE, or Tentative dans l’Aviation Générale d’Introduction de Nouvelles Énergies. That translates to “initiative to introduce clean energy in general aviation.” The project has the backing of the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) and CORAC, France’s research council for civil aeronautics.
The collaborative effort will research hybrid-electric propulsion primarily for 6-10 seat aircraft, about 25,000 of which are in operation. Per the partners, these are “identified as a priority for initiating the ecological transition of air transportation by 2027.” They will study the feasibility, economics, and sustainability of the technology “on a platform in the category of Daher’s Kodiak multi-role airplane.”
Kodiak is a family of short takeoff and landing (STOL) single-engine turboprops certified under FAA Part 23. Daher will provide the aircraft as a use case for the initiative. The hybrid propulsion system will combine electric and thermal power to drive the aircraft’s propeller.
According to Christophe Robin, vice president of engineering at Daher, electric battery storage devices alone won’t be able to achieve the project’s goals.
“It’s very heavy, a lot more heavy than the fuel, and therefore gives a penalty to the aircraft,” Robin told reporters in Paris. “The level of hybridization, so the level of electric energy you would have on an aircraft, can be very variable.”
Robin added that using only electric batteries would “not be viable short-term.” Instead, the partners will use “just a slight input of electricity, and therefore a slight level of battery.”
Eric Seinturier, vice president of technology and future programs for Safran’s Helicopter Engines division, echoed that sentiment.
“The mass of the battery today does not enable us to fly more than 15 minutes,” he said. “There may be some applications for full electric…but in the vast majority of the application cases, in fact, you will need the thermal core on board—even directly—to generate electricity.”
Pascal Laguerre, chief technology officer of Daher, added that the company is “working on the composite materials and solutions” to lower aircraft weight and compensate for the heavy batteries.
Each partner will play a distinct role in the effort. Daher, in addition to providing Kodiak, will lend its OEM expertise. Safran’s Helicopter Engines and Tech divisions will study the combined electric and thermal propulsion system, optimizing the split for fuel savings, low noise, and reduced emissions.
Collins’ job is to boost the aircraft’s energy efficiency and reduce propeller mass. It will lead a study of propeller noise generation and help integrate them on the design. It will also develop an electric pitch change system for the propellers.
Ascendance, meanwhile, will use its Hybrid Operating System to manage energy within the propulsion system. It is responsible for identifying battery requirements and integrating those systems on the aircraft.
The partners expect to produce an environmental impact assessment by year’s end and present their progress at the 2027 Paris Air Show.
All four companies have pursued hybrid-electric projects independently—and sometimes together.
Daher and Safran, for example, are collaborating with Airbus on the EcoPulse hybrid-electric demonstrator, which first flew in 2023. Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of Daher, in April clarified that the aircraft is a demonstrator. But Chabbert said the company could produce a “more electric airplane, likely hybrid-electric and a derivative of one of our existing airplane models,” the TMB 960 and Kodiak 100/900.
EASA in February certified Safran’s ENGINeUS as the first airworthy electric motor for civil aircraft. The company’s Helicopter Engines arm is also pursuing hybrid-electric projects, such as Electra’s EL9. On Monday, its Electrical and Power division partnered with Saft to build high-voltage aviation batteries.
Collins is exploring a range of advanced products such as its electric thrust reverser actuation system (elecTRAS). It is developing elecTRAS at a facility in Wolverhampton, U.K., and has a final assembly line in Colomiers, France. Collins is also developing electric and hybrid motors—including the one powering sister company Pratt & Whitney’s Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator.
Ascendance is the youngest member of the bunch, but it too brings plenty of expertise. Its flagship aircraft is the hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Atea. It has eight vertical and two horizontal electric motors, including a pair of ENGINeUS. Ascendance this year began assembling Atea’s composite airframe and a full-scale prototype, which it aims to fly this year. The VTOL is powered by Ascendance’s Sterna hybrid electric pack, which it launched for both aircraft and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) earlier this month.
A notable exclusion from the project is Airbus, which has explored hybrid propulsion with all four companies and has a significant presence in France.
Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.
