Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2021 - 14

Propulsion Systems

and the organizations they
represent aim higher and
take chances while remaining grounded and practical?
Let's explore three areas
where test is driving responsible innovation.

eVTOL and the Flying
Taxi

Advancements in battery technology for the automotive space, like
this battery tester, can serve as a foundation for work on fully electric aircraft.

Advancements in electric
and autonomous vehicles
have sparked renewed excitement about the integration of battery power in aviation. Start-ups from Silicon
Valley and elsewhere are
partnering with key players
from aerospace and transportation, like Toyota, Airbus, and Uber, to spearhead
such efforts. Take, for example, the electric prototype
from Intel and Germanybased Lilium Aviation that's
already accumulated 1,000
test flights.
By 2040, the eVTOL and
air taxi market is forecasted
to be worth $1.5 trillion,
and commercial integration

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testers like this one enable customers to switch between simulations and real
hardware with the same test system, saving time during validation and facilitating reuse across a variety
of test needs.

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Cov

ToC

may begin as soon as 2022. But as the
race to dominate this market spurs opportunities, businesses cannot compromise on safety and pragmatism; rather,
they must continue to approach designs responsibly. Air taxis pose significant risks to passengers and other aircraft; their subsystems could malfunction, and they could be vulnerable
to cyberattacks. To mitigate potential
flaws such as these, rigorous testing is
required. The same level of testing is
also required for energy management,
distribution, and generation subsystems, without bringing innovation to a
halt.
As companies move from prototype
to production, they must receive safety
and reliability certifications through
validation. It's at this stage where PCBs,
wiring, and test systems that were used
in early development may prove time
consuming and costly to scale and
maintain. To keep up with accelerating
development schedules, businesses will
require validation test systems that
adapt with changes to sensors, loads,
and simulations.

Hybrid Aircraft Takes Flight in 2020
Electrification has silently and gradually permeated the aircraft industry. Hydraulic and pneumatic systems are slowly
transitioning to electric-based systems,
enabling the creation of aircraft that are
more efficient and, therefore, easier to
maintain. That, coupled with a strong
push to lower carbon emissions, is allowing hybrid-electric aircraft to take flight.
A lot has happened in the world of
more electric aircraft (MEA) in 2020, including the announcement of two regional aircraft:
* Wright 1, a partnership between
Wright Electric and EasyJet, will begin
flight tests in 2023.
* HERA, from UK-based Electric Aviation Group, plans for planes to enter
service in 2028.
In addition to that, 2020 marked
the culmination of a three-year project between Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and
Siemens: a hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator called, E-Fan X. The 2MW
electric engine of the E-Fan X was used
to power onboard electrical subsystems
and generate thrust for the aircraft. The
Aerospace & Defense Technology, April 2021

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Aerospace & Defense Technology - April 2021

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