Pioneering power

Together with its commitment to continually improve gas turbine efficiency and demonstrate compatibility with Sustainable Aviation Fuel, this work ensures it will continue to play a leading role in the drive to Net Zero aviation.

Rolls-Royce is planning a comprehensive series of rig and engine tests to prove the fuel can safely and efficiently deliver power for small to mid-size aircraft from the mid-2030s onwards. With further ambitions to move this on to a flight test phase as part of the programme in the long term.

The programme follows market research carried out by the UK Aerospace Technology Institute’s Fly Zero team and Project NAPKIN (New Aviation Propulsion Knowledge and Innovation Network), which concluded there is market potential for hydrogen-powered aircraft.

Rolls-Royce’s hybrid electric research has been carried out on its Power Generation System 1 (PGS1) demonstrator. It is now taking that huge amount of learning and carrying out further work to understand how a production version of PGS1 might be achieved and discussing with air framers what their future requirements may be.