FROM MEMORANDUM TO DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT

Safran Helicopter Engines and Aura Aero have reached a new milestone in their partnership on the hybrid-electric propulsion system for the ERA — Electric Regional Aircraft — a 19-seat regional aircraft in development by the Toulouse-based manufacturer. The two companies have signed an agreement covering the development and integration of Safran turbogenerators for the ERA prototype, paving the way for series production of the propulsion system. The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 and represents a key step towards the aircraft’s maiden flight, certification and eventual entry into service.

The progression from memorandum to development and integration contract is commercially meaningful. An MoU establishes intent; a development agreement commits engineering resource, defines interfaces and technical requirements, and establishes the basis on which a propulsion system can be certified as part of an airframe. For a clean-sheet hybrid-electric aircraft, propulsion system definition is among the most significant risk items on the programme, and locking it with an established engine manufacturer materially de-risks the path to certification.

THE ARCHITECTURE: EIGHT ELECTRIC UNITS, TWO TURBOGENERATORS

The ERA’s propulsion architecture consists of eight electric propulsion units powered by two TG600 turbogenerators, each capable of supplying 600 kW of electricity. The turbogenerators are based on Safran Helicopter Engines’ latest-generation Arrano engine paired with two GENeUS electric generators supplied by Safran Electrical & Power, which will also supply the ENGINeUS motors driving the electric propulsion units. Safran states the architecture has been designed to combine reliability, operational performance and low consumption while meeting the requirements of commercial operation and series production.

The configuration is a series hybrid rather than a parallel one: the turbogenerators do not drive propellers directly but generate electrical power that is distributed to the eight independent electric propulsion units. That distribution of thrust across eight units offers redundancy characteristics difficult to achieve with conventional twin-engine architectures, and decouples the power generation system from the thrust-producing units — allowing each to be optimised independently. Basing the TG600 on the certified Arrano engine, rather than developing a turbine from scratch, is a further risk reduction measure in a programme where regulatory precedent for hybrid-electric propulsion remains limited.

MARKET POSITION AND 700 PRE-ORDERS

Cédric Goubet, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines, said the company was particularly pleased to reach the milestone in its partnership with Aura Aero and to contribute to advancing the decarbonisation of aviation alongside the growing French aircraft manufacturer, describing the TG600 turbogenerator as a key component of the ERA’s hybrid propulsion system and noting that teams would now work alongside Aura Aero towards the first prototype flight. Jérémy Caussade, CEO and co-founder of Aura Aero, said the partnership embodied a shared commitment to decarbonised and sovereign aviation, and that leveraging Safran’s expertise in turbogenerators and next-generation electric motors laid the foundations for a reliable, high-performance hybrid-electric propulsion system tailored to the needs of tomorrow’s regional air transport.

The ERA programme was launched with the objective of contributing to the decarbonisation of air transport, meeting growing demand for air travel while replacing older aircraft currently operating regional routes. Market response has been substantial, with 700 units already pre-ordered — a figure that gives the programme commercial credibility uncommon among clean-sheet regional aircraft developments. Separately, Safran Electrical & Power has strengthened its own partnership with Aura Aero to accelerate the development, certification and industrialisation of all-electric propulsion technologies, including the integration of ENGINeUS motors into the INTEGRAL E single-engine training aircraft.