FutureFlight On The Radar
Wright Seeks Stakeholder Guidance on Fuel Cell Options for Electric Airliners
The company has recruited Honeywell and Eagle Picher as partners to assist with a Joint Technical Assessment Phase that should lead to program launch for the Wright Spirit conversion of the BAe 146 in October 2022.

Wright Electric’s ambitious plans to modernize the venerable BAe 146 regional jetliner with an electric propulsion system are to be advanced with the assistance of Honeywell Aerospace. This week, the start-up announced the opening of a Joint Technical Assessment Phase (JTAP) for the Wright Spirit program, which is expected to lead to a full launch of the program in October 2022.

The JATP is intended to resolve a host of details about the conversion plan that weren’t defined when Wright announced its concept last week. These include determining the architecture for the reworked 1990s-vintage aircraft, as well as for its new propulsion system. The company and its partners will also evaluate the technical readiness level of critical path components, presumably to assess technology risks and the viability of bringing a 100-seat electric airliner to market by 2026.