SWITCH

Sustainable Water-Injecting Turbofan Comprising Hybrid-electrics

Europe’s aviation sector is flying towards a sustainable, climate-neutral future. Bringing together a group of leading aerospace companies, the EU-funded SWITCH project will develop future airliner propulsion systems. Supported by the EU Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, it will develop a sustainable gas turbine propulsion system as a response to the challenge of climate-neutral short-/medium-range air transport. Specifically, its hybrid water-enhanced turbofan can improve energy efficiency by 25% and reduce climate impact by 75% (using net-zero CO₂ sustainable aviation fuel, 50% with conventional Jet-A kerosene). It is the only concept to significantly reduce all three major warming effects: CO₂ through unmatched efficiency, nitrogen oxides through water injection in the combustor and contrails through particle removal and water recovery.

SWITCH aims to answer the challenge of climate-neutral short-/medium-range air transport by developing a revolutionary sustainable gas turbine propulsion system – the hybrid water-enhanced turbofan (hybrid WET). It boosts WET technology with hybridisation (electrical aircraft propulsion – EAP) to improve energy efficiency by 25% and reduce climate impact by 75% (using net-zero CO₂ sustainable aviation fuel, 50% with conventional Jet-A kerosene) compared to a state-of-the-art engine. It is the only concept to significantly reduce all three major warming effects on our climate: CO₂ through unmatched efficiency, NO_x through water injection in the combustor and contrails through particle removal and water recovery. Local air quality and noise levels around airports are improved through electric taxiing. The hybrid WET is fully compatible with drop-in SAF and could also be adapted to burn hydrogen. It addresses all climate-notable market segments: short-, medium- and long-range.
The SWITCH project will meet this challenge with a global consortium, through an unprecedented programmatic effort between airframer, engine and system OEMs, key Tier 1 suppliers and leading researchers in combustion and propulsion, leveraging relevant and effective synergies between European and national programmes.
SWITCH will mature the hybrid WET’s two key innovation concepts by 2025: the WET engine to technology readiness level (TRL) 4 through validation of its key enabling technologies and the EAP system to TRL5 through flight-ready engine ground demonstration of the full propulsion system.
Results from SWITCH will reinforce confidence in the climate reduction potential of the hybrid WET propulsion system and form the technological foundation to achieve TRL6 by 2030. This will enable the innovation to enter into the market by 2035 on a new short-/medium-range aircraft to significantly reduce aviation’s climate impact towards the European Green Deal’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050.