Collins develops power distribution tech for EU's SWITCH aviation project

NÖRDLINGEN, Germany - Collins Aerospace, part of RTX in Arlington County, Va., announced it has completed the prototype development of a solid-state power controller and power distribution panel for the European Union-backed SWITCH project. The components, designed and produced at Collins' Nördlingen, Germany, facility, will undergo system integration testing at the company's electric power systems lab, The Grid, in Rockford, Illinois.

The SWITCH project addresses the need for high-voltage distribution technology to support hybrid-electric propulsion systems in future aircraft, will operate at megawatt-level power. RTX’s hybrid-electric propulsion system combines two Collins megawatt-class electric motor generators with a Pratt & Whitney GTF engine. Collins’ solid-state power controller and power distribution panel will help safely manage high-voltage electricity within the SWITCH architecture, even at cruising altitudes.

"Hybrid-electric aircraft are an integral part of the aviation industry's drive to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, yet without new, safe high-voltage power distribution systems, they will not fly," said Tino Schuldt, general manager for Collins' Nördlingen facility. "Here in Nördlingen, we're leveraging our decades of experience in power distribution solutions and world-class facility to break new ground in the development of these critical enabling technologies for the next generation of hybrid-electric and all-electric platforms."

Related: SWITCH project aims to advance hybrid electric and water enhanced turbofan tech

Pierre Durel, SWITCH project officer, noted the importance of the project’s hybrid-electric propulsion technology. "The hybrid-electric propulsion solution is one of the key features offered by the SWITCH consortium to reach the CO2 reduction target of our program for short-medium range aircraft," he said. "We are excited to see tangible technology bricks becoming available, representing the significant efforts made by the team to deliver critical items needed to run the ground test demonstrator by the end of Phase 1."

Collins’ solid-state power controller was originally developed in collaboration with the RTX Technology Research Center, Collins, and Pratt & Whitney as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program.

The SWITCH consortium includes industry leaders MTU Aero Engines AG, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, Airbus, and others. The project is funded by the European Union under GA no. 101102006.