Rotorcraft
Airbus PioneerLab Targets Hybrid-electric Flight in 2027
Pratt & Whitney turboshaft will combine with Collins electric motors
Airbus Helicopters PioneerLab
The Airbus Helicopters PioneerLab team is focused on efforts to make rotorcraft safer to fly and with less environmental impact.

Airbus Helicopters’ PioneerLab team is set to make its first hybrid-electric powered flight in 2027. During a media briefing on March 3 at its Donauwörth facility in Germany, the company announced the target date and said the project is on track to confirm a preliminary design later this year.

Unveiled in September 2023 with the intention of testing technologies specifically dedicated to twin-engine helicopters, the PioneerLab concept is based on the H145 platform. The test aircraft will be powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system developed and refined in-house in an attempt to lower fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30%.