GKN Aerospace has successfully completed and delivered the first high-voltage electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) for the Clean Aviation SWITCH project. Developed at GKN Aerospace’s site in Papendrecht, the Netherlands, the EWIS is designed to support megawatt-class hybrid-electric propulsion and will undergo system integration testing later this year at Collins Aerospace’s advanced electric power systems facility, The Grid, in Rockford, Illinois. It will subsequently support hybrid-electric Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine demonstrator testing at EME Aero in Poland.
The SWITCH project is a significant international collaboration aimed at advancing aircraft propulsion technologies to improve the efficiency and performance of future short- and medium-range aircraft. The project is led by a consortium that includes MTU Aero Engines AG, RTX businesses Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace, Airbus, and GKN Aerospace, with support from the European Union through the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking.
GKN Aerospace holds responsibility for the design, assembly, testing and delivery of the high-voltage AC wire harnesses — a key component in enabling safe and efficient power distribution in hybrid-electric aircraft. These next-generation aircraft are essential to the aviation industry’s goal of achieving more sustainable flight. As power requirements grow from hundreds of kilowatts to multiple megawatts, innovative high-voltage distribution systems become critical. With decades of expertise in EWIS technologies for both civil and defence applications, GKN Aerospace is helping to lay the electrical foundation for the future of aviation.
