At the Future of Transportation World Conference in Cologne, Germany, Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc company, announced a newly formed collaboration with Safran on the development of innovative hybrid electric power system solutions to support Bell’s vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft concept.
Bell Helicopter’s Director of Innovation, Scott Drennan, commented that: “Bell is at the forefront of on-demand mobility – ushering a new era of flight where the benefits of aviation are accessible to more people in more places. This announcement is another proof point of our commitment to providing transportation of people and logistics in new, innovative and more efficient ways; our work with Safran is a historical milestone for future transport solutions.”
For some time now, Safran innovation teams have been exploring the potential of hybrid solutions for future propulsion systems. Bell and Safran’s have a shared vision for electric and hybrid electric aircraft, which is to strive for the successful deployment of Bell Air Taxis and new on-demand mobility systems in the future.
Stéphane Cueille, Safran’s Senior Executive Vice President, R&T and Innovation, stated: “Thanks to the long and sustained technology-development strategy conducted within Safran, we can now offer Bell our hybrid electric power solutions for their next generation products that result in improved performance giving more value to our customers.”
Bell will lead the design, development and production of VTOL systems, while Safran will bring its technical expertise to bear in the development of a disruptive propulsion system.
