Heart Aerospace unveils full-scale demonstrator hybrid aircraft

Heart Aerospace has unveiled its first full-scale demonstrator for its regional hybrid-electric aircraft, the ES-30, marking a significant milestone in its development. Built almost entirely in-house at the company’s Gothenburg facilities, the demonstrator reflects Heart’s strategy to advance both design and production simultaneously.

“Our industry is approaching a 30-year innovation cycle, and we have less than 25 years to decarbonize aviation. We need to develop new methods to get net-zero aerospace technologies to market faster,” says Anders Forslund, co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace. “It is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of our team that we’re able to roll out a 30-seat aircraft demonstrator with a brand-new propulsion system, largely inhouse, in less than two years.“

With a wingspan of 32 metres, the demonstrator, named Heart Experimental 1 (Heart X1), will undergo rigorous testing to advance the ES-30’s development. The Heart X1 will initially focus on ground-based testing, including charging, taxiing, and turnaround procedures, with a fully electric first flight planned for the second quarter of 2025.

The development has been partly funded by the Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova, showcasing the crucial collaboration between government and industry to bring net-zero technologies to market.

“Developing innovative net-zero aerospace technologies demands a revolution in product development and manufacturing, much like what we’ve witnessed in the automotive and space industries,” said Ben Stabler, Chief Technology Officer at Heart Aerospace. 

Heart Aerospace’s next phase is creating a pre-production prototype, the Heart X2, which will feature a hybrid-electric flight in 2026 and demonstrate the company’s Independent Hybrid propulsion system. A US$4.1 million grant from the FAA’s Fuelling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) programme will support the development of this system.

Heart is aiming for type certification of the ES-30 by the end of the decade, with plans to establish a pilot manufacturing plant to accelerate prototyping. The ES-30, a 30-seat hybrid-electric aircraft, offers a zero-emission electric range of 200 kilometres, with a hybrid range of up to 400 kilometres, promising sustainability and efficiency on short-haul routes.