en.Wedoany.com Reported - Pratt & Whitney Canada announced on July 21, 2026, that the RTX hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program has entered a new phase, with ground testing of the flight-standard propulsion system and propeller now underway in Longueuil, Quebec. The hybrid-electric propulsion system integrates a new Pratt & Whitney Canada thermal engine, a 1-megawatt electric motor and motor controller developed by Collins Aerospace, and a battery system from Switzerland-based H55. The system employs a parallel hybrid architecture, where the electric motor provides additional thrust during high-power phases such as takeoff and climb, allowing the thermal engine to operate more frequently in its efficient range, with the goal of reducing fuel consumption by up to 30% on a typical 250-nautical-mile regional turboprop mission.

Jean Thomassin, Executive Director of New Product and Service Introduction at Pratt & Whitney Canada, stated: "Assembling the flight-standard propulsion system brings us one step closer to validating hybrid-electric technology in flight."

Upon completion of ground testing, the hybrid-electric propulsion system will be installed on a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 test aircraft, with first flight expected in 2027. The project is supported by the federal government of Canada and the government of Quebec, with partners including De Havilland Canada, GKN Aerospace, AeroTEC, Ricardo, the National Research Council of Canada, and the Institut du Véhicule Innovant.