The Future Of Civil Transport Aircraft

Airbus has unveiled plans to develop a zero-emissions liquid-hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035. The company is studying technology options to narrow down its choice among an A320-like turbofan design (pictured), an ATR-like turboprop and a blended-wing body. The turbofan concept would provide the basis for a family of aircraft with 120-200 seats and a range of 2,000 nm or more. Capable of a Mach 0.78 cruise speed, the aircraft’s engines would directly combust liquid hydrogen with supplementary hybrid-electric power provided by fuel cells. Airbus plans to launch the first program around 2027—allowing seven years for development, testing, certification and entry into service.

Startup company Universal Hydrogen has partnered with fuel-cell producer Plug Power and electric-motor developer MagniX to develop a 2-megawatt zero-emissions power train for retrofitting into 40-60-seat regional turboprops, beginning with the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q300. Experimental flights are expected to begin in 2023, and supplemental type certification and entry into service are due by 2025. In addition to the Dash 8, Universal Hydrogen plans to offer the conversion for the ATR 42 and 72 regional turboprops.

Embraer is developing a new-technology, twin-engine, 70-seat T-tail turboprop to compete with, and ultimately replace, the Dash 8 and ATR 72 series. Powered by unidentified conventional turboprops, the low-wing configuration combines the structures and systems of the company’s E-Jet family with the design heritage of the smaller EMB 120 Brasilia. Entry into service for the notionally termed E3 is targeted for 2027, with the provision that follow-on variants could potentially incorporate hybrid-electric propulsion systems.

Rolls-Royce and Tecnam are developing the P-Volt electric-powered passenger aircraft, a nine-seat derivative of the Italian company’s P2012 Traveller. Norwegian airline Wideroe has signed an agreement to become the first potential operator of the zero-emissions aircraft from 2026 onward. About 74% of the airline’s flights are over distances less than 275 km (170 mi.); some flights last only 7-15 min., making it a suitable operator of electric-powered aircraft.

UK startup Faradair Aerospace has partnered with Honeywell and MagniX on development of its multirole Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft (BEHA), designed to carry 18 passengers or three LD3 cargo containers. The triple box wing concept is designed to take off and land in less than 985 ft. The initial planned first member of the family is the MH1, a 55-ft.-span aircraft capable of quick change between 18 passengers, three LD3 cargo containers or 5 metric tons of payload. Faradair aims to fly a full-scale prototype by early 2024 and to deliver 300 BEHAs into service by 2030, of which 150 will be in a firefighting configuration.

California-based Joby Aviation’s tiltprop electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi is among the coming first wave of urban and advanced air mobility vehicles in development for service entry by 2023. Joby has logged more than 1,000 test flights of full-scale unmanned and manned prototypes and in 2020 agreed on the basis for Part 23 certification with the FAA. In approximately 10 years, Joby projects it will be operating some 14,000 vehicles in more than 20 cities worldwide.

German startup Volocopter expects to certificate its VoloCity two-seat multicopter electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft by the end of 2022 and launch commercial urban air taxi service in 2023. The company has announced plans for services in Singapore and Paris, including upcoming flights at a urban air mobility test area at Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airfield in readiness for an air taxi demonstration service during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Aerion Supersonic is developing the AS2, a Mach 1.4, 8-10-passenger supersonic business jet aimed at service entry in 2026. Preliminary design review is scheduled for this year, and long-lead manufacturing of the first AS2 components is due to begin in 2022. Final assembly is expected to start at Aerion’s new Melbourne, Florida, facility in 2023. The company, which plans to develop a production configuration prototype rather than go through the preliminary step of testing a demonstrator, aims to build 300 AS2s in the first decade of manufacturing.

Boom’s Overture is a Mach 2.2, 65-88-seat supersonic airliner that could begin carrying passengers in 2029. Using lessons learned from a subscale XB-1 supersonic demonstrator that is due to fly later this year, the Denver-based company plans to launch the Overture program in 2022. The following year, production will start on the first parts; the rollout of the Overture prototype is due in 2025. First flight is scheduled in 2026.

Civil hypersonic-aircraft startup developer Hermeus is working with the U.S. Air Force to evaluate how the Atlanta-based company’s Mach 5 concept could be modified into a high-speed executive vehicle, including potentially a presidential transport. Powered by a turbine-based combined-cycle engine, the Hermeus concept vehicle is configured to carry up to 20 passengers over transatlantic ranges. Entry into service is targeted for the end of the decade.