Safran Commences Hybrid-Electric Testing on Modified Silvercrest Engine
Engine maker plans to accumulate around 300h of run time over six-month campaign using modified Silvercrest powerplant. Safran Aircraft Engines will shortly begin ground testing a hybrid-electric demonstrator based on its Silvercrest business jet engine as the French firm looks to mature technologies that could equip the next generation of narrowbody-size powerplants. Supported by the French DGAC civil aviation authority, the PHILEAS demonstrator is fitted with a pair of 250kW motor-generators on the high- and low-pressure spools. These are sized "for use on the next generation of short- and medium-range aircraft engines", Safran says. Tests are being carried out using Safran's open-air test stand at Istres air base in southern France. They will run for around six months, comprising around 300h of testing, the propulsion specialist says. Test runs will start in the coming days, it adds. Also incorporating onboard power electronics and an electrical power distribution system, the PHILEAS demonstrator will be used to validate the integration of the technology suite within the engine under conditions which Safran says are representative of real-world operations. Included within the test programme are "advanced power management scenarios" such as balancing the power extraction between the two shafts, transferring power from one shaft to another, and managing power exchanges between the engine and the aircraft. "We're proud to launch this ground-test campaign, which marks another milestone in the maturation of hybrid-electric technologies. It represents a key step toward their integration into our future aircraft engines," says Pierre Cottenceau, vice-president, engineering, research & technology for Safran Aircraft Engines. Safran sees the application of hybridisation as a critical contributor to achieving the 20% fuel-burn reduction needed for the next generation of narrowbody engines. For example, the RISE open-fan demonstrator being developed by the French firm through its CFM International joint venture with GE Aerospace features hybrid-electric systems to optimise its performance through all flight phases. GE is also maturing its own hybrid-electric engine technology through the NASA-backed Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration aircraft, a modified Saab 340B that will be showcased at next week’s Farnborough air show. Electrical equipment for the PHILEAS demonstrator was developed by sister company Safran Electrical & Power (SE&P), which also contributed to the earlier DOPEE project in 2023. This validated the operation of a SE&P 300kW electric motor-generator attatched to the high-pressure shaft of another Silvercrest engine, accumulating around 300h of run time. Additionally, since late 2025, system-level testing has also been under way at SE&P's facility in Niort, France on a test bench simulating an 800V aircraft electrical network. The Silvercrest is a 10,000lbf (44kN)-thrust business jet engine development programme axed by Safran last decade.