HERA (Hybrid-Electric Regional Architecture)

HERA will identify and trade-off the concept of a regional aircraft, its key architectures, develop required aircraft-level technologies and integrate the required enablers in order to meet the -50% technology-based GHG emission set in SRIA for a Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft. The HERA aircraft, having a size of approximately of 50-100 seats, will operate in the regional and short-range air mobility by mid-2030 on typical distances of less than 500 km (inter-urban regional connections). The aircraft will be ready for future inter-modal and multi-modal mobility frameworks for sustainability. The HERA aircraft will include hybrid-electric propulsion based on batteries or fuel cells as energy sources supported by SAF or hydrogen burning for the thermal source, to reach up to 90% lower emissions while being fully compliant with ICAO noise rules. The HERA aircraft will be ready for entry into service by mid-2030, pursuing to the new certification rules, able to interact with new ground infrastructure, supporting new energy sources. This will make HERA aircraft ready for actual revenue service offering to operators and passengers sustainable, safe and fast connectivity mean at low GHG emissions HERA will quantitatively trade innovative aircraft architectures and configurations required to integrate several disruptive enabling technologies including high voltage MW scale electrical distribution, thermal management, new wing and fuselage as well as the new hybrid-electric propulsion and related new energy storage at low GHG. To support this unprecedented integration challenge, HERA will develop suitable processes, tools and simulation models supporting the new interactions, workshare in the value chain and interfaces among systems and components. HERA will also elaborate on the future demonstration strategy of a hybrid–electric regional aircraft in Phase 2 of Clean Aviation to support the high TRL demonstration required for an early impact for HERA solutions.