Pratt & Whitney Canada, a unit of RTX (NYSE: RTX), has begun ground testing of a flight-standard hybrid-electric propulsion system and propeller in Longueuil, Quebec, marking a new phase in the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator project.

Following completion of ground tests, the propulsion system is planned for installation on a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 experimental aircraft, with a first flight targeted for 2027.

The propulsion system combines a Pratt & Whitney Canada thermal engine with a 1-megawatt electric motor and motor controller developed by RTX's Collins Aerospace, and a battery system supplied by H55 S.A., a Swiss aviation energy storage company. The project aims to demonstrate up to 30% improved fuel efficiency for a typical 250-nautical-mile regional turboprop mission.

"Assembling the final, flight-standard propulsion system brings us one step closer to proving hybrid-electric technology in flight," said Jean Thomassin, executive director of New Products and Services Introduction at Pratt & Whitney Canada.

Project collaborators include De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, GKN Aerospace, AeroTEC, Ricardo, the National Research Council of Canada, and the Innovative Vehicle Institute. The project is supported by the governments of Canada and Quebec, with the propulsion system verification phase also receiving funding through Strix, which manages Canada's Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology.