Engines
King Air Operator Plans Hybrid-electric Conversion with Dovetail
Zeusch Aviation flies medical, surveillance, mapping, and broadcast missions
King Air hybrid electric propulsion system
Dovetail Electric Aviation plans to install a series hybrid-electric powertrain in King Air twin turboprop aircraft.

Dutch aerial services operator Zeusch Aviation is exploring plans to retrofit its Beechcraft King Air fleet with hybrid-electric propulsion systems being developed by Dovetail Electric Aviation. The companies announced their collaboration on July 10, having previously reached an agreement during the Paris Air Show last month.

Their plans envision the King Air’s two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops being replaced by Dovetail’s DovePack batteries and DovePower electric propulsion system. These would be combined with a range-extending turbogenerator in a series hybrid configuration that Dovetail said could reduce carbon emissions for the aircraft by up to 40%, as well as cutting noise by up to 30%.