en.Wedoany.com Reported - Swiss energy storage specialist H55 has delivered production-standard propulsion battery modules to Pratt & Whitney Canada, which will be integrated into the RTX hybrid-electric flight demonstrator.
The demonstrator is based on a modified De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 regional turboprop aircraft, pairing Pratt & Whitney Canada's thermal engine with Collins Aerospace's 1-megawatt electric motor. The 200 kWh battery system provided by H55 powers the electric motor, with the project aiming to improve fuel efficiency by 30% compared to existing regional turboprop aircraft.
This delivery follows the successful full-power ground testing of the integrated propulsion system and battery in 2025, marking H55's transition from technology development to the industrial production phase of battery modules.
H55 has completed the industry's first regulatory-required certification testing for electric aircraft propulsion batteries, with the relevant certification evidence now serving as the production baseline for the RTX project. The company has accumulated over 2,000 flight hours across multiple aircraft programs without any battery-related incidents.
H55's technology originates from the Solar Impulse project, which completed the first solar-powered circumnavigation of the globe. Its battery architecture is specifically developed to meet certification requirements for electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, based on technology already operational in smaller all-electric aircraft.
Sébastien Demont, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of H55, noted that aircraft manufacturers today require certification-grade safety architecture, industrial manufacturing capabilities, operational reliability, and scalable system integration. Delivering production-standard modules to the RTX hybrid-electric propulsion demonstrator validates H55's ability to meet these requirements at an industrial scale and marks significant progress in bringing certification-grade energy storage technology to broader commercial aerospace applications.
The demonstrator project is partially funded by the Canadian government. H55 has received investment from RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of RTX, and AeroTEC will support flight testing of the experimental aircraft at its facility in Moses Lake, Washington.
Jean Thomassin, Executive Director of New Product and Service Introduction at Pratt & Whitney Canada, stated that hybrid-electric propulsion is an important pathway to improving fuel efficiency and performance across various future aircraft platforms. H55's ability to deliver aviation-grade battery systems within a rigorous certification and production framework plays a critical role in demonstrating hybrid-electric technology in flight.
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