MTU Aero Engines is stepping up efforts to support the adoption of hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel for air transport, with the start of engineering work for its joint project with the DLR German Aerospace Center to convert a Dornier 228 regional airliner. The partners expect to be ready to start ground testing subsystems during the second quarter of 2021 as they prepare for the first flight of the technology demonstrator in 2026.
The 19-seat aircraft, which has already been procured, will have one of its two Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engines replaced by a 500-kW electric propeller motor, powered by electricity produced by hydrogen fuel cells. Under a partnership announced in early August, MTU will provide the propulsion system while DLR—the government-backed Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- and Raumfahrt agency—will be responsible for systems integration and certification. The partners will use the project, which has funding from the Bavarian state government, to validate MTU’s powertrain architecture.
