Airbus Launches LEIA Project to Advance Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Systems

Airbus is advancing its development of hybrid-electric technology for the next generation of commercial aircraft with the launch of a new demonstrator project. Known as LEIA, the initiative brings together partners from the European Union, the UK, and the US to create a hybrid-electric non-propulsive energy system.

Project Goals and Scope

LEIA, which stands for Large Scale Integration Demonstrator of Hybrid Electrical Architecture, is supported by the European Union's Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking. The project's primary focus is on developing and demonstrating high-voltage generation and distribution for the electrical systems intended for future short-to-medium range aircraft.

"Our progress in developing hybrid-electric technologies and our move into the LEIA demonstrator marks a pivotal shift in how we design the future of flight," said Karim Mokaddem, Head of aircraft of tomorrow Research and Technology at Airbus. Mokaddem added that by moving to integrated hybrid-electric architectures, the company is "actively laying the physical and digital foundation for the next generation of aircraft."

Building on Previous Research

The LEIA project is the next phase following the successful completion of the SWITCH project, which concentrated on developing hybrid-electric powertrain subsystems. In July, partner Collins Aerospace, working alongside Pratt & Whitney, GKN Aerospace, and MTU Aero Engines, completed integrated laboratory testing for SWITCH.

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These subsystems are now being transferred to the Airbus Sustainable Technology and Engineering Projects laboratory in Ottobrun, Germany. At this facility, Airbus teams will perform aircraft-level integration testing, which includes work on design, battery interfacing, and energy-management systems. The goal is to validate these integrated systems, with a ground demonstration scheduled for 2027.

International Collaboration

Airbus is working with a broad consortium of industrial and academic partners on the LEIA project. Key collaborators include:

• AVL
• Collins Aerospace
• European Aerospace Science Network
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
• Liebherr Aerospace
• Lynxeo
• Netherlands Aerospace Centre
• Safran
• SAFT
• The University of Warwick
• Wroclaw University of Science and Technology