Airbus joins Safran subsidiary to develop hydrogen-fuel technology demonstrator
Airbus announced it has joined a partnership with engine manufacturer CMF International to develop a demonstrator to test hydrogen-fuel technology for planes.
The plane maker said that, by focusing on the project, it would hope to have hydrogen-fuelled aircraft enter into service by 2035.
“Our ambition was to market a carbon neutral aircraft by 2023,” said Jeff Knittel, Airbus America chief executive, during a press conference. “To reach that goal we have to design and develop propulsion technologies based on hydrogen and we have to test them first on the ground.”
Airbus and CMF, a joint venture between US multinational General Electric and French aerospace giant Safran, will fit an adapted version of a current engine on an A380 plane.
The engine demonstrator will burn hydrogen fuel instead of jet fuel by adapting the engine to resist higher temperatures and speed. The companies said that, in addition to hydrogen, they were looking at fuel-cell and other technologies too.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was featured among the projects CMF is currently working on.
“We certainly support the broader use of sustainable aviation fuels, something the industry can do today to have a huge impact on its carbon footprint,” said Gael Meheust, the manufacturer’s chief executive. “And of course all of this in addition to building ever more fuel efficient engines.
A key objective of the CMF RISE programme is to ensure that any engine we introduce in the future will be compatible with alternative fuels.”