Collins Aerospace, global industry experts in aerospace power and control systems, has completed integrated laboratory testing of hybrid-electric powertrain subsystems for the European Union Clean Aviation SWITCH project. Conducted at The Grid, the company’s advanced electric power systems laboratory in Rockford, Illinois, the testing marks an important step in developing more efficient propulsion systems for future short- and medium-range aircraft. The subsystems operated successfully with simulated aircraft and engine systems during what Collins described as the largest integrated systems test conducted at The Grid since the facility opened in 2023. They will now move to the Airbus Sustainable Technology and Engineering Projects laboratory in Ottobrunn, Germany, for aircraft-level integration testing covering aircraft design, battery interfaces and energy-management systems.

“This is the largest integrated systems test conducted at The Grid since its opening in 2023,” said Kristin Smith, vice president of Electric Power Systems at Collins Aerospace. “By combining our technology expertise with deep industry collaboration, we are demonstrating how hybrid-electric systems can significantly reduce fuel consumption for next-generation aircraft.”

Employees monitor hybrid-electric power system testing from The Grid control room at Collins Aerospace in Rockford, Illinois. | Aerospace Technology Monthly

Employees monitor hybrid-electric power system testing from the control room at The Grid, Collins Aerospace’s advanced electric power systems laboratory in Rockford, Illinois.

SWITCH is intended to improve engine efficiency by integrating hybrid-electric technologies with a Pratt & Whitney GTF engine. The system incorporates two Collins Aerospace megawatt-class motor-generators and their associated controllers. Pratt & Whitney supported powertrain integration and supplied the hybrid-electric engine controller, while Airbus provided the interface controller connecting the system with the aircraft energy-management architecture. GKN Aerospace delivered the high-voltage electrical wiring system, and MTU Aero Engines coordinates the wider SWITCH project. Following completion of the SWITCH testing, The Grid will support the Airbus-led LEIA project, short for Large Scale Integration Demonstrator of Hybrid Electrical Architecture. The Clean Aviation initiative will investigate high-voltage generation, distribution, protection and energy management for future hybrid-electric short- and medium-range aircraft. Collins Aerospace is serving as the project’s technical lead for energy sources and will provide four scalable electric motor-generators, next-generation electronic controllers, electrical power-distribution equipment, and cabin pressure and ventilation control systems.

The company’s facility in Nördlingen, Germany, will supply solid-state power controllers and distribution panels designed to replace conventional mechanical circuit breakers and relays, reducing system weight while improving reliability. LEIA testing will be conducted across several locations, including The Grid and Collins Aerospace facilities in Toulouse, Frankfurt, Cork, Rome and Solihull. The wider program is expected to culminate in an integrated ground demonstration in 2027.

“SWITCH & LEIA are essential building blocks to make the hybrid-electric short- and medium-range aircraft become a reality: they show the power of collaboration within Europe and beyond,” said Pierre Durel, project officer at Clean Aviation. Clean Aviation is “very much looking forward to the results of the demonstration tests due to be carried out in 2027.”

Both projects form part of a broader group of Clean Aviation research programs investigating technologies for more-electric aircraft. Collins Aerospace also contributes to the HECATE and AWATAR electrification projects and the newer OSYRYS and PHARES ultra-efficient regional aircraft initiatives.

About Collins Aerospace

Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, develops aerospace and defense technologies spanning avionics, aircraft interiors, aerostructures, engine components, mission systems, and power and control systems. Its technologies support commercial, business and military aircraft, as well as space and airport operations. For more information, please click here.

About RTX

RTX is an aerospace and defense company operating through Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the company develops commercial and military aviation technologies, integrated defense systems and other advanced technology solutions. RTX employs more than 180,000 people worldwide and reported sales exceeding $88 billion in 2025. To learn more, please click here.

About the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking

The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is a European Union public-private research and innovation partnership focused on developing technologies for more sustainable aviation. Supported through Horizon Europe and contributions from the European aeronautics industry, its research targets regional and short- and medium-range aircraft technologies designed to reduce emissions compared with 2020 aircraft.

Source/Photo Credit: RTX/Collins Aerospace

(Editor’s Note: All trademarks mentioned in this article, including company names, product names, and logos, are the property of their respective owners. Use of these trademarks is for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement.)

Molly Bakewell Chamberlin
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