HERA project

HERA is a research project aiming to identify and trade-off the concept of a regional aircraft, its key architectures, develop required aircraft-level technologies and integrate the required enablers to meet the -50% technology-based GHG emission set in SRIA for a Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft. The HERA aircraft, having a size of approximately 50-100 seats, will operate in the regional and short-range air mobility by mid-2030 on typical distances of less than 500 km (inter-urban regional connections). The aircraft will be ready for future inter-modal and multi-modal mobility frameworks for sustainability. The HERA aircraft will include hybrid-electric propulsion based on batteries or fuel cells as energy sources supported by SAF or hydrogen burning for the thermal source, to reach up to 90% lower emissions while being fully compliant with ICAO noise rules. The HERA aircraft will be ready for entry into service by mid-2030, pursuing the new certification rules, able to interact with new ground infrastructure, and supporting new energy sources. This will make HERA aircraft ready for actual revenue service offering to operators and passengers sustainable, safe, and fast connectivity mean at low GHG emissions HERA will quantitatively trade innovative aircraft architectures and configurations required to integrate several disruptive enabling technologies including high voltage MW scale. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking. Neither the European Union nor Clean Aviation JU can be held responsible for them. The project is supported by the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking and its members. Clean Aviation is the EU’s leading research and innovation program for transforming aviation towards a sustainable, climate-neutral future. Visit our website to find out more about Clean Aviation: www.clean-aviation.eu