GE Aerospace aircraft flies at Farnborough to mark high altitude hybrid-electric milestone | Aerospace Testing International
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Electric & Hybrid News
GE Aerospace aircraft flies at Farnborough to mark high altitude hybrid-electric milestone<br>By Ben Sampson21st July 20266 Mins Read
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The 1MW hybrid-electric system is integrated into the right side nacelle of the Saab 340B and is here displayed at Farnborough Air Show (Image: Ben Sampson / Mark Allen Business)
GE Aerospace has flown a hybrid-electric testbed aircraft above 30,000ft for the first time, completing a flight across the Atlantic to exhibit the aircraft at the Farnborough Air Show this week.
The modified Saab 340B has been equipped with a 1MW hybrid electric propulsion system on the right side, while the aircraft’s original CT7 gas turbine remains on the left. First flight using the hybrid configuration happened on May 3, 2026, with the first hybrid-electric flight above 30,000ft on May 20.
The testbed aircraft is flying demonstration flights and can be viewed on the static display at the Farnborough Air Show this week. The flight from the USA to Farnborough in the UK is also the first time a hybrid-electric aircraft has been flown across the Atlantic.
It was developed under NASA‘s US$260 million Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program, which launched in October 2021 to demonstrate the flight readiness of hybrid electric technologies for single-aisle aircraft. Other partners on the project include Boeing’s R&D subsidiary Aurora, and Vermont, USA-based eVTOL aircraft developer Beta Technologies.
Speaking at the Farnborough Air Show, NASA administrator Jarod Isaacman said, “We have spent years working through the hardest technical problems: electrical components, batteries, size, weight, thermal management, and the power systems needed for megawatt class performance.
“The engine GE Aerospace is demonstrating integrates electric motors, a gas turbine, and energy storage capabilities in a megawatt-class hybrid electric propulsion powertrain. That means lower operating costs for airlines, which ultimately means lower costs for passengers.”
Another testbed aircraft is being developed as part of the EPFD program by electric propulsion systems developer magniX and aerospace engineering and testing firm AeroTEC. The Washington State-based companies are working with NASA to modify a De Havilland Dash 7 test aircraft with magniX’s magni650 powertrain. Flight testing is expected to start later this year.
First hybrid-electric flight across the Atlantic
The Saab 340B flight across the Atlantic left Plattsburgh, USA on June 26th, with stopovers in Goose Bay, Canada, Nuuk in Greenland, Kefalivik in Iceland, Wick in Scotland and Bournemouth in England before arriving at Farnborough on July 14th.
BETA pilots flew the aircraft, operating in hybrid-electric mode during each leg of the journey. During tests, the team’s single longest flight in hybrid electric operation was more than two hours.
Christine Andrews, executive hybrid electric systems leader at GE Aerospace said, “The journey across the Ocean was flawless and the hybrid-electric system operated exactly how we thought it would at 30,000ft, seamlessly.
“I’ve never been a part of a test campaign on the ground or in flight that went as smoothly or as quickly through each milestone as this one.”
The service ceiling for a Saab 340B is 25,000ft and flying above 30,000ft was only made possible with the hybrid-electric mode, said Andrews. 30,000ft is same altitude levels of passenger commercial aircraft.
“This shows that the technology is ready for the next step. It’s one thing to do it in the lab – it’s another thing to really put it into flight.”
The Saab 340B has been modfied as part of the NASA’s US$260 million EPFD demonstrator project (Photo:Ben Sampson / Mark Allen Business)<br>Heat transfer and high voltage safety
Engineering and test teams addressed heat management, lower atmospheric pressures and power density using flightworthy components that meet...