A new breed of hybrid- and all-electric aircraft is set to transform the way we fly by connecting communities, enabling on-demand, economical urban air travel, and propelling aviation to its all-important zero net carbon goal.
The advanced air mobility (AAM) sector is dominated by ambitious start-ups that a decade ago did not exist or few had heard of. However, many of them will rely on know-how from one of the biggest names in the industry for their energy management systems, integrated controls, and power conversion systems. Each of these are technologies in which BAE Systems has built considerable expertise over several decades.
BAE Systems is collaborating with AAM developers, including Embraer subsidiary, Eve, Sweden’s Heart Aerospace, and Hyundai Motor Group subsidiary Supernal – as well as with GE Aerospace on a NASA-led project – to harness decades of experience in these areas with the aim of becoming a leader in this exciting, emerging sector.
BAE Systems’ heritage in energy management systems, integrated control systems, and power conversion runs deep. In 2007, it was the first to design and manufacture lithium-ion-based energy storage capabilities for the heavy-duty transit market and today has more than 17,000 propulsion systems in operation.
As long ago as 1998, it was powering New York City buses with a hybrid propulsion system, a breakthrough that put it firmly on the map as a leader in electrification and opened markets from marine to military ground vehicles around the world. Twenty years on, the business was the first in the USA to offer two energy storage systems for bus fleets.
Meanwhile, it has been developing flight controls for commercial and military aircraft since the early 1970s and is now adapting that hardware and software for electric applications. BAE Systems is also evolving four generations of experience in packaging, cooling, and controls into power conversion offerings for the AAM sector. In this area, its expertise in high power drive systems and safety-critical controls provides unique advantages. By employing the latest wide band-gap switching technologies and advanced controls in its power electronics, power density and efficiency are significantly enhanced, which is essential for aircraft applications.
Recent years have seen BAE Systems collaborate with some of AAM’s pacesetters across a range of aircraft types. In March 2023, the company announced it was working with Heart Aerospace to define the battery system for its ES-30 electrically powered regional airliner. The battery is set to be integrated into an electric conventional take-off and landing (eCTOL) type.
In June that year, Eve named BAE Systems as the supplier of its advanced energy storage system for its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, while the previous October Supernal said BAE Systems would be designing the flight control computer for its eVTOL programme.
BAE Systems has also been selected by GE Aerospace to provide energy management solutions for NASA’s hybrid electric technology demonstrator, including high-integrity controls and cables for the aircraft’s power management system, which will be mated to GE CT7-9B engines.
There are two key drivers for BAE Systems in this rapidly evolving sector, explains Matt Boecke, chief engineer for power systems for BAE Systems aircraft electrification. The main one is that the company is keen to play its part in the decarbonization of the industry. “Quite simply, we need to reduce aircraft emissions and the most obvious way to do that is to electrify propulsion,” he says.
However, this means ensuring any transition to electric power is as low-risk as possible. “Safety is the subject that always emerges as the top priority in any discussion,” adds Boecke. “We have had to learn to make battery systems safer than anyone has ever made them before, stopping thermal runaway from propagating to other cells or modules.”
Electrification has been a trend in aerospace for a generation, as aircraft manufacturers have moved from mechanical actuation and controls to electro-mechanical and electro-hydraulic technologies such as fly-by-wire systems. This technology is crucial for AAM developers for whom weight reduction and making their aircraft as intuitive to fly as possible is paramount.
BAE Systems’ experience in this area makes it the ideal partner for the AAM sector, says Brian Hull, strategic development engineering director for BAE Systems controls and avionics solutions. “Designing the most efficient and safest systems is something we do every day. It is core to our engineering expertise,” he says.
The hub of BAE Systems’ aircraft electrification efforts is at its site in Endicott, New York, where around 850 engineers work on designing and testing subsystems for applications across aerospace, including adapting intellectual property already developed for buses and heavy-duty vehicles.
Boecke describes the AAM movement as the “third major revolution in aerospace” after powered flight itself and jet propulsion half a century later. “It is critical for BAE Systems to be a leader in this space,” he says. “We have the ability to do that by bringing together all the lessons we have learned to help facilitate this transition.”
When AAM aircraft take to the skies in the next few years, it will, in many cases, be BAE Systems technology beneath the skin enabling them to operate safely, efficiently, and sustainably.
https://www.baesystems.com/en/product/aircraft-electrification
