Collins Aerospace completes HECATE hybrid-electric architecture project

Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, announced on Tuesday that it has successfully completed the Hybrid-Electric regional Aircraft distribution Technologies (HECATE) project. The HECATE project is part of the European Union's Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking and was completed with support from UK Research and Innovation. Its goal is to develop high-power and certifiable architecture designs that can be used for future hybrid-electric aircraft performance in real-world conditions. The project was completed in late 2025 after completing testing, verification and validation of its Electrical Power Generation and Distribution System. The hybrid-electric system is capable of producing over 500 kilowatts of power and was tested using the Copper Bird platform, which is used to simulate and test advanced electrical systems. "Through successful collaboration with HECATE consortium partners, we have advanced critical technologies for hybrid-electric propulsion and more electric aircraft to meet future high power, high-voltage aircraft demands," said Kristin Smith, VP of Electric Power Systems at Collins Aerospace. "With efficient, lightweight, and compact electrical power distribution technologies, Collins is well-positioned for continued maturation and integration testing under Clean Aviation Phase 2 programs, moving closer to commercial viability." RELATED STORIES: Collins Aerospace announces Venue smart monitor service entry on Falcon 7X Collins Aerospace delivers first of new APNT receiver to European customer Beyond Aero completes preliminary review of hydrogen-electric business jet Other organizations involved in HECATE included Safran, Airbus Defence and Space, Leonardo and several universities. Collins led the project's steering committee through its Applied Research andamp; Technology organization and Power andamp; Controls business, while Safran Electrical andamp; Power served as the technical coordinator. Collins Aerospace states that the completion of HECATE is an important milestone for advancing Clean Aviation Phase 2 projects, which focus on developing and testing electrical systems for hybrid-electric regional aircraft. "We are very proud to have integrated the full suite of partner systems from the HECATE consortium into our state-of-the-art electrical systems test bench in Niort," said Agnès Pronost-Gilles, executive VP andamp; general manager for Power Division and Safran Electrical andamp; Power. "This integration highlights the strength of our collaboration and our technical leadership in hybrid-electric and electric propulsion. Safran Electrical andamp; Power is now well-positioned to meet the growing demands for sustainable regional aircraft and to lead the next steps in innovation through Phase 2 of the Clean Aviation Project."