It’s Only Common Sense: Be the Solution, Not the Problem
American Made Advocacy: Long-time Challenges Confront a New Administration
Marcy's Musings: It's Show Time!
RTX's Collins Aerospace Develops High-Voltage Power Components for Clean Aviation Project
October 29, 2024 | RTXEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, has completed prototype development of a solid-state power controller and power distribution panel as part of the SWITCH project, supported by the European Union's Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (Clean Aviation). Following design and production in Nördlingen, the megawatt-class power distribution components will now be shipped to Collins' state-of-the-art electric power systems lab, The Grid, in Rockford, Illinois for system integration testing.
To support hybrid-electric propulsion systems, new high-voltage distribution technologies are required as electric power levels increase from hundreds of kilowatts in today's aircraft, to megawatt levels in the aircraft of the future. For SWITCH, RTX is developing a new hybrid-electric propulsion system that combines two Collins megawatt-class electric motor generators within a Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine. With the ability to handle increased electric loads, Collins' solid-state power controller and power distribution panel will enable the safe management of high-voltage electricity at altitude throughout the SWITCH hybrid-electric architecture.
"Hybrid-electric aircraft are an integral part of the aviation industry's drive to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, yet without new, safe high-voltage power distribution systems, they will not fly," said Tino Schuldt, general manager for Collins' Nördlingen facility. "Here in Nördlingen, we're leveraging our decades of experience in power distribution solutions and world-class facility to break new ground in the development of these critical enabling technologies for the next generation of hybrid-electric and all-electric platforms."
"The hybrid-electric propulsion solution is one of the key features offered by the SWITCH consortium to reach the CO2 reduction target of our programme for short-medium range aircraft," said Pierre Durel, project officer for SWITCH. "We are excited to see tangible technology bricks becoming available, representing the significant efforts made by the team to deliver critical items needed to run the ground test demonstrator by the end of Phase 1."
Hybrid-electric propulsion is a central pillar of RTX's sustainable aviation technology roadmap. In addition to SWITCH, RTX is advancing hybrid-electric technologies through multiple demonstrator programs applicable to a variety of future aircraft, including the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator, STEP-Tech and Airbus PioneerLab.
Collins' solid-state power controller was initially developed as part of a collaboration between the RTX Technology Research Center, Collins and Pratt & Whitney under NASA's Advanced Air Vehicles Program.
The SWITCH project is a collaborative consortium including MTU Aero Engines AG, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, Airbus and others. Funded by the European Union under GA no. 101102006 — SWITCH. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Clean Aviation. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Hannah Nelson: The Inspiring Journey of an Emerging Engineer
03/11/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAt last year’s IPC APEX EXPO, former IPC Emerging Engineer Hannah Nelson had the opportunity to reflect on her inspiring journey into the world of engineering, from her education at Valparaiso University to her internship and her first job at Texas Instruments. From pivotal moments and the unexpected turns that helped shape her early career and passion for electrical engineering, her story highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, taking opportunities that arise early on, finding confidence in one's voice, and the rewards of pursuing one's passions within the engineering field.
Rogers Corporation Launches New Thermoset Laminates for Automotive Radar Sensor Applications
03/03/2025 | Rogers CorporationRogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) announced its latest innovation in dielectric materials: RO4830™ Plus Circuit Materials, which are well suited for cost-sensitive millimeter wave PCB applications, such as 76-81 GHz automotive corner radar sensors.
Foxconn, Mexican State of Sonora Sign MOU to Explore Smart City
02/28/2025 | FoxconnHon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the State of Sonora in Mexico covering Smart City cooperation, extending for the first time outside of Taiwan a key intelligent platform service that is being developed by the world’s largest electronics manufacturing service provider.
Managing Energy Flow with Proper Stackup Design
02/13/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007At Design Con 2025, I had the opportunity to speak with Dan Beeker, technical director at NXP Semiconductor, about his technical session, which focused on optimizing PCB layers to best direct signal and power supply energy between these layers. In this interview, Dan discusses the complexities of board stackup and the significance of understanding dielectric layers for effective signal transmission. Dan is something of a “fields evangelist,” spreading the word about the need for designers to focus on fields, not just circuit theory. Toward the end, Dan summed up much of the design segment: Designing something that didn't make it break is not the same thing as designing it correctly.
Optical Transceiver Shipments Projected to Grow by 56.5% in 2025
02/05/2025 | TrendForceWhile DeepSeek has successfully reduced AI training costs, the broader cost reduction of AI models is expected to expand application scenarios and drive an increase in global data center deployments.