By Dominic Perry2021-01-29T10:34:00+00:00
Blue Bear Systems Research is celebrating a double funding win after securing UK government backing for a pair of projects that could eventually boost sub-regional aviation through the deployment of pilotless, hydrogen- or electric-powered aircraft.
As the leader of Project HEART – or Hydrogen Electric and Automated Regional Transportation – Blue Bear and its consortium partners will demonstrate advanced autonomous controls on a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander that are sufficiently robust to allow single-pilot operations.
Source: Britten-Norman
Autonomous systems will be tested on Islander
In addition, the practicality of using hydrogen power – including infrastructure and operational issues – for short-range flights will be examined with consortium members including ZeroAvia, Scottish carrier Loganair, and Highlands & Islands Airports, which runs facilities in the north and west of Scotland.
29th January 2021 11:05 am
Three UK projects exploring the future of green aviation will receive a combined total of £84.6m from government and industry to pursue zero emissions flight.
Part of the ATI (Aerospace Technology Institute) Programme, the hydrogen and battery-electric projects will see government providing half of the investment total, with industry matching it.
H2GEAR – the largest of the three endeavours – will see a GKN-Aerospace-led consortium of partners seeking to develop a hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2026, creating a potential 3,000 jobs over the next decade. The team will initially develop a liquid hydrogen propulsion system for short-distance flight, which could later be scaled up for larger aircraft and distances.
Government unveils £85m package to support low-carbon aviation innovations
Projects developing hydrogen and fully electrified aircraft have secured multi-million-pound funding pots from the UK Government, in the hopes of the nation hosting zero-emission flights by 2023.
Image: ZeroAvia
Of the £84.6m of funding, delivered through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), half is being provided by the central government and half is being provided by industry.
The bulk of the funding (more than 60%) is being allocated to GKN Aerospace-led project H2GEAR, which is developing a liquid hydrogen propulsion system that could be used for regional air travel. A second hydrogen plane project, ZeroAvia, is receiving around one-third of the funding to develop and demonstrate a 19-seater aircraft.
UK consortium launches InCEPTion project to develop integrated electric aircraft propulsion module
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) specialist Blue Bear Systems Research, a UK Small to Medium Enterprise, has formed a seven-strong consortium to develop a next-generation, all-electric propulsion module to enhance aircraft performance while reducing operating costs. The propulsion module is a scalable design and is the first in a range of products that can be used for aircraft less than 5 tonnes in the near term.
The project Integrated Flight Control, Energy Storage and Propulsion Technologies for Electric Aircraft (InCEPTion) is supported and co-funded by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK and was launched this month. The 24-month project will deliver a highly power-dense, quiet and efficient propulsion module with zero emissions out.