NASHUA, N.H. - With greenhouse gases on the rise and populations are growing at a rapid pace, environmentally friendly air travel is in demand. This has cities turning to cleaner forms of public transportation on the ground, in the water, and soon enough - in the air. The first of these next-generation electric flights is set to take off in just a few years with urban air mobility aircraft.
BAE Systems is ready to help these small electric aircraft take off by designing a series of power sources that will replace or reduce the need for an aircraft’s typical combustion engine.
To create this form of clean transportation, BAE is pairing flight controls with aircraft power management and energy systems. The company is at work and expect to have operational prototypes of aircraft electrification systems for urban air mobility and regional transport jets later this year. BAE has teamed with Jaunt Air Mobility to explore new development for urban air mobility, and with Wright Electric on an electric hybrid system and controls for its 186-seat aircraft.
The systems have yet to leave the runway, but stand to make a difference when they do. Each system will cut emissions and help operators save on fuel. The technology opens the door for a new way to commute and could take cars off the road. Reduced traffic would open roadways and further reduce emissions in the places where we live, work and visit.
