Heart Aerospace wins FAA funding to develop ES-36 turbogenerator

Heart Aerospace has received $2.9 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to develop and test a turbogenerator for its ES-36 hybrid-electric regional aircraft. The money comes through the fourth round of the FAA's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise programme, which began in 2010 and shares costs with manufacturers on greener aviation technology.

Heart is one of five companies holding a two-year agreement in this round. Boeing, GE Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace and JetZero were also selected.

The FAA award covers half of the $5.8 million Heart expects to spend over 24 months. The work centres on a megawatt-class turbogenerator for the ES-36's hybrid-electric propulsion system, designed to generate electricity in flight, supplement battery power and extend range.

Heart is targeting 125 miles (201km) on battery power alone for the 36-seat ES-36, and up to 745 miles (1,199km) in hybrid-electric mode. The project starts with ground testing of how the turbogenerator works with the aircraft's batteries and electric motors across different operating modes, then moves to flight testing with a pre-production ES-36. That aircraft is expected to fly for the first time in 2028.

The funding follows Heart's 23 September unveiling of the ES-36 and a purchase agreement with JSX for as many as 100 of the aircraft.