Aircraft propulsion and energy management systems

The outcome should contribute to:

• Facilitate the introduction of new aerial propulsion and energy integrated systems technologies through a reduction of their evaluation time and cost.
• Develop EU autonomous industrial sector and enhance cross boarder collaboration (from large industrial group to SME).
• Contribute to EU technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy.
• Contribute to improve EU air power and to guarantee EU aerial superiority.

The objective of this call topic is to develop and mature a new suite of advanced technologies for propulsion, power and thermal management system for fighter aircraft that can be applied in a modular and flexible manner to different sizes and types of systems, operating within a System-of-Systems (SoS) configuration that should include various interconnected elements, including manned and unmanned systems, swarms of drones and auxiliary platforms.

In recent years, military conflicts have become increasingly complex, even more characterised by high degree of unpredictability and uncertainty. New dynamics, like brand-new and/or mature technological development and revised military doctrines, are shaping the future of warfare, thus requiring the EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ armed forces to prove their agility and constant adaptation to an evolving military landscape. To effectively tackle these challenges, the concept of SoS seems to represent a viable option able to satisfy a growing need for flexibility, by integrating various elements in a multidomain environment.

In this framework, definition and role of the 6th generation of fighter aircraft are expected to change accordingly. The aircraft should move from a platform-oriented design capable to perform missions within a single domain to a SoS configuration to incorporate various interconnected elements, including a system of Manned and unmanned Teaming (MuM-T) such as Unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (UCCA), swarm of drones and adjunct platforms, able to operate across the five domains (air, land, sea, space and cyber). By leveraging the collective capabilities of these interconnected components, military forces can enhance their operational effectiveness in different and diverse military scenarios. As military/warfare scenarios continue to evolve, the need for adaptable and multidomain systems becomes increasingly critical.

Challenges of enhanced stealth capability, range and electronic warfare are even more compelling needs – in addition to flexibility and life cycle cost – the development of these advanced propulsion systems must be approached collaboratively, ensuring seamless integration within the SoS configuration/elements such as UCCA.

Specific objective

In order to develop and mature a new suite of advanced technologies for propulsion, power and thermal management system for the aircraft fighter must be developed in a modular and flexible manner to different sizes and types of systems, taking into account the following points, but not limited to:

• Understanding of the full potential of the new aircraft fighter configuration with advanced propulsion technologies and making sure that the EU technologies for propulsion and energy systems are going hand in hand with the new mission requirements and operational needs.
• Development of innovative solutions and enabling technologies for both the propulsion system and other interconnected components within the SoS configuration is necessary for an efficient and integrated energy generation and management system for future military aircraft applications.
• Increased energy efficiency and effectiveness compared to the systems that are used today.

Proposals must provide a validated suite of advanced technologies for propulsion and energy systems that can be applied within a SoS configuration and perform a set of studies to explore challenges for the effective integration of these technologies into different size and concepts of platforms, with a particular focus on UCCA.

Proposals must show ways to greatly improve energy and thermal efficiency to accommodate the rising need of non-propulsive energy demands and therefore also show possibilities for improving the ecological footprint.

In addition, proposals may address the jointly development and evaluation of technologies on a test vehicle on ground or in flight which could be developed or adapted from an existing one within in the frame of this work. This vehicle would also be an opportunity for joint technology development activities in Europe to enhance cross border collaboration between large industrial groups, SME and academia.

Types of activities

The following types of activities are eligible for this topic:

Accordingly, the proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of mandatory activities:

• Studies:

Perform a set of system studies to explore the major integration effectiveness of power and propulsion technologies into different size and concepts of airborne platforms, with a particular focus on UCCA. In this framework, the following studies must be performed:

• • Platforms requirements trade-offs, including mission types, lifecycle costs, maintainability.
  • Propulsion and energy systems sizing and trade-offs, including multiple engine architectures and on-board systems to meet airborne platforms requirements.
  • Engine integration studies, including sizing of thrust, power extraction and heat dissipation across the whole flight envelope, energy balance, wasted energy.
  • Study of an improved and secured electronic engine control and monitoring system covering e.g., smart sensors, cyber security.

Furthermore, these studies should provide analyses, tools and methods concerning:

• • Parametric lifecycle costs modelling.
  • Evaluation of integration into aircraft of propulsion and energy management solutions.
  • Smart manufacturing; including improved development process duration.
  • Critical sensors.
  • Test environment and instrumentation for evaluation of next generation of propulsion and energy integrated systems.
• Design:

Continue the maturation of a specific set of technologies and knowledge (e.g., those foreseen in the EDF-2021-ENERENV-D-PES call topic) towards higher levels of TRL for the development of building blocks needed for competitive novel propulsion and energy systems for future SoS configuration. The set of technologies must include the following:

• • Design of dedicated simulation tools for multi-system simulation in a collaborative and agile life cycle context.
  • Design of the test means necessary for the evaluation of next generation of propulsion and energy integrated systems and prototyping of enabling components and subsystems.
  • High-temperature light-weight materials development.
  • Aircraft and engine thermal management systems.
  • Aircraft and engine electrical systems.
  • Advance cooling and manufacturing technologies of high temperature turbomachinery components.
  • Combustion technologies, including advanced and sustainable aviation fuels.
  • Progressing with advance engine architecture, including hybrid-electric systems to increase thrust and power extraction and decrease specific fuel consumption.
  • Maturation of technologies using dedicated rigs where appropriate and if necessary.
  • improved development process to be able to reduce development time and cost (e.g., including early demonstration & rapid prototyping).
  • improved manufacturing technologies.

Furthermore, these design activities should provide analyses, tools and methods concerning:

• • The propulsion and energy management integrated solutions.
• System prototyping:
  • Build a modular prototype/system test bed, able to evaluate synergies and optimal management of propulsion, thermal and electric energy.
  • Build/create samples of new materials for testing allowing comparison and trade-offs among new materials designed.
  • Prototyping of specific components aimed to increase the Europeanisation of relevant technologies, included but not limited to controls, high temperature materials and cooling technologies.
• Testing:
  • Use test beds to provide experimental evidence about optimisation that can be achieved in terms of energy efficiency and environmental impact.
  • Test, new materials in terms of energy efficiency and environmental impact.
  • Test components prototypes to find optimisation strategies to achieve best energy management.
  • Evaluate new types of fuels in terms of, e.g., energy and power efficiency, exhaust characteristics and environmental impact.

In addition, the proposals should cover the following tasks:

• Increasing efficiency:
  • Low-cost lifecycle cost technologies development.
  • Development of integrated life cycle service (e.g., predictive maintenance, smart inspections, usage of advanced VR/AR in MRO).
  • Integration of electrical motor/generator on engine spool(s) for increasing thrust/decreasing the specific fuel consumption (sfc).
  • Variable flow engine to increase propulsion efficiency in respective part of flight envelope.

Consequently, the proposal must cover both the maturation of technologies and the implementation of an additional set of activities in order to maximise the synergies with foreseen and completed projects.

Proposal must substantiate synergies and complementarity with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities in the field of highly efficient propulsion and energy systems for next generation air combat and unmanned collaborative combat aircraft systems notably those described in the call topic EDF-2021-ENERENV-D-PES on Alternative propulsion and energy systems for next generation air combat systems.

Functional requirements

The proposed product and technologies should meet the following functional requirements:

• Develop flexible propulsion system design, with extended capability to operate within a broad range of different missions and operative requirements while enhancing affordability, availability and airborne platform independence.
• Develop integrated power, propulsion solutions and modular and flexible energy management to achieve optimal airborne platforms performances across broad range of different missions and operative requirements.
• Explore, starting from existing product, trade-off alternative integrated propulsion and non-propulsion solutions or innovations. Analyse the potential gains, risks, development and production roadmaps of future military airborne engines meeting the required performances.
• Design technologies to minimise life cycle product cost.
• Provide sustainability along the product life cycle, considering digitalisation during design and production, and a reduced environmental impact due to more efficient advanced propulsion.
• Develop efficient energy management systems, coupling turbomachinery with electrical machines and heat exchangers, increasing energy generation (propulsive/non-propulsive) with complex constraints to reconcile (much higher energy needs/electrical demand of future equipment including armaments and/or sensors, Electronic Attack/Radar systems, etc.) integrated on airborne platforms.
• Improve the engine systems, from materials to system architectures through components on different levels (including heat/thermal management, energy generation, distribution, and storage).