Eric Dalbies News Today

France’s EcoPulse distributed electric propulsion demonstrator—developed by Daher, Safran and Airbus—has conducted its first flight in hybrid-electric mode.

Daher, Safran and Airbus have completed 30 hr. of flight testing without power to the electric propellers on the EcoPulse demonstrator.

The chief technology officers of seven companies involved in the EU’s Clean Aviation public-private partnership have committed to work together on topics that would otherwise be competitive issues, praising the framework the €4.1 billion ($4.3 billion) initiative is giving the industry.

Carbon-emission free aircraft – either electric or hydrogen-powered – will be developed within six years, with the first jets commercially carrying passengers "from 2035 onwards," industry experts have forecast.