Under the agreement, both companies plan to develop a hybrid electric turbogenerator for Advanced Air Mobility applications, including long-range Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft, future BETA aircraft and other potential uses. The partnership will integrate BETA’s expertise in high-performance electric generators with GE Aerospace’s turbine, certification and safety capabilities, as well as its large-scale manufacturing knowledge.
This solution will draw on existing infrastructure such as GE Aerospace’s CT7 and T700 engines, and is expected to deliver improvements in range, payload and speed performance compared to similar aircraft. GE Aerospace will also make a $300 million equity investment in BETA and gain the right to designate a director to join BETA’s Board.
GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., said, “Partnering with BETA will expand and accelerate hybrid electric technology development, meeting our customers’ needs for differentiated capabilities that provide more range, payload, and optimized engine and aircraft performance.”
Kyle Clark, BETA Technologies’ Founder and CEO, said “This partnership brings together two teams deeply committed to and guided by aerospace engineering excellence and building the future of flight. We believe the industry is on the precipice of a real step change, and we’re humbled that GE Aerospace has the confidence in our team, technology, and iterative approach to innovation to partner with us. We look forward to partnering to co-develop products that will unlock the potential of hybrid electric flight, and to do it with the rigor, reliability, and safety that aviation demands.”
GE Aerospace has been developing hybrid electric propulsion technologies for more than a decade, achieving milestones such as the first test of a megawatt-class hybrid electric system in altitude conditions up to 45,000 feet in 2022. BETA has led the Advanced Air Mobility sector in electric flight distance and flight hours, with its aircraft tested across the United States and Europe in a variety of environmental conditions.
