Collins Aerospace Begins Hybrid-Electric Powertrain Testing for EU SWITCH Program at The Grid

Overview

• Integrated tests at The Grid in Rockford, Illinois are evaluating motor generators, controllers and power distribution hardware.
• Collins says key subsystems, including two megawatt-class motor generators, will feed into the next-phase hybrid-electric Pratt & Whitney GTF demonstrator.
• The work marks an early-stage validation step with no public timeline yet for the engine integration phase.
• Components were developed across Europe: motors and controllers in Solihull, UK, power distribution in Nördlingen, Germany, and high-voltage wiring by GKN in Papendrecht, Netherlands.
• SWITCH is an EU-funded Clean Aviation collaboration involving MTU Aero Engines, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, Airbus and research partners, and both Collins and Pratt & Whitney are RTX businesses.