Airbus has celebrated the topping out of its E-Aircraft Systems Test House at its Ottobrunn site near Munich, Germany.
The 4,500 square meter (48,000 square feet) facility will provide the infrastructure to install and test two hybrid-electric propulsion systems, each with a power of up to two 20MW. The facility is a key hub for Airbus hybrid electric aircraft development activities and will be used as part of Airbus’ E-Aircraft Systems Programme.
The E-Aircraft Systems Test House’s main objective is the integration of different sub-systems. It will include test benches for the integration with batteries and gas turbines, energy distribution systems and electric drives.
With the building complete, the test benches will now be installed. The facility is on schedule to be completed in March 2019, and for the first tests are planned to be conducted from June 2019.
Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus’ corporate technology office’s general manager for electrification is one of the speakers at the forthcoming Electric & Hybrid Aerospace Technology Symposium, the world’s leading international conference dedicated to ultra-low-emission aircraft technology and full-electric flight, which takes place on November 8-9 in Cologne, Germany.