National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

 

NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER 

ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT PROPULSION
 

NASA is investing in more electric aircraft propulsion as part of its overall effort to improve the fuel efficiency, 

emissions and noise levels in commercial aviation. The agency foresees aircraft of the 2030s and 2040s carrying 

travelers across great distances requiring only a fraction of the time, budget and fuel consumed today. 

NASA’s Glenn Research Center is researching aircraft concepts, 

propulsion and electrical power systems, components and 

materials, and test facilities, along with exploratory investment in 

turbine-generator interfaces and boundary-layer ingestion (BLI) 

validation. NASA Glenn is instrumental in achieving NASA’s future 

aviation vision as we lead the development of electric propulsion 

and are working to advance the next generation of commercial 

passenger aircraft through groundbreaking concepts that integrate 

the propulsion system into the airframe. 

The term “more electric propulsion” loosely describes many 

different methods for using both fuel and/or electricity to drive an 

aircraft’s engines. 

WHAT IS HYBRID-ELECTRIC PROPULSION? 

Think of a flying hybrid car. 

Hybrid-electric propulsion is an exciting development area that uses 

either fuel-fed engines, electrically-driven fans or a combination of 

both systems to propel the aircraft during various phases of flight. 

This research presents an opportunity to mature cutting-edge 

technologies that will dramatically reduce fuel usage, noise and 

emissions, while opening up potential new markets and business 

opportunities for American manufacturers and air carriers. 

STARC-ABL 

At Glenn, we are concentrating on concept passenger aircraft that 

are large enough to carry at least 150 passengers for mediumto-long distances. This concept, known as the single-aisle turboelectric aircraft with an aft boundary-layer propulsor, or STARC-ABL, 

looks similar to the proven tube-and-wing aircraft you see every 

day. But, unlike those aircraft, a significant amount of electrical 

power, approximately three megawatts, is used for propulsion and 

the operation of subsystems like flight controls, avionics and deicing. 

Imagine a Boeing 737, but with slightly smaller engines on the 

wings and a “T-tail” that features a boundary layer ingesting ducted 
fan on the tail, which is driven purely by electric power derived from 

generators mounted to the underwing engines. 

The wing-mounted engines supply 80 percent of the thrust required 

during takeoff and 55 percent at cruise, while the tail-mounted, allelectric BLI turbofan accounts for remaining thrust. Researchers 

predict a potential fuel consumption improvement of roughly 10 

percent using this innovative system. 

Currently, our researchers are working to understand how 

electrification of the propulsion system affects things like overall 

energy used over the course of a trip, how batteries might be used 

to boost power during takeoff and how to reduce drag through the 

strategic placement of electrically-driven engines. 

Our team is already testing subscale versions of these electric 

propulsion systems at the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed, otherwise 

known as NEAT, and they are working towards testing full-scale, 

megawatt-level systems in the coming years. 

NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed 

To address some of the testing and challenges facing the 

development of more-electric aircraft, NASA Glenn built the NASA 

Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) at NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test 

Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. 

NEAT is a reconfigurable hybrid, gas-electric propulsion testbed 

capable of supporting full-scale electric aircraft powertrain 

technology development. NASA Glenn was able to repurpose a 

facility originally built for hypersonics testing to 

develop capabilities for the future needs of the 

aviation industry. 

The facility successfully completed its first engine emulation (125 

KW) in 2017, and it is currently preparing to test progressively more 

powerful powertrains (500 MW+) of the STARC-ABL concept. 

By increasing efficiency and reducing weight, the technology 

developed at NEAT can eventually be applied to larger, commercial 

aircraft, potentially resulting in reduced energy output, emissions 

and costs. 

A visualization of how a Boeing 737 airframe would fit into NASA Electric Aircraft 

Testbed (NEAT) facility. 

Changing the Face of Aviation 

The three renderings featured here are examples of future aircraft 

concepts that have been designed by NASA and its industry 

partners. Shown are the fully turboelectric, superconducting, 

blended wing body N3–X; the parallel hybrid Sugar Volt; and the 

partially turboelectric STARC-ABL. 

www.nasa.gov PS–03357–0221