$4.1 million FAA grant for Heart Aerospace
Swedish hybrid-electric aircraft developer Heart Aerospace is to receive a $4.1 million Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant to develop “a management system for its innovative hybrid propulsion system”.
The upcoming funding – delivered as part of the FAA’s Fuelling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) programme – will enable the development of a first-of-its-kind control system called the Hybrid Propulsion Automated Control System (HPACS). This aircraft-level power management system will “automate the hybrid power sources to ensure safe operations and minimise fuel burn, emissions, and noise while also being transparent to the crew,” explained Heart.
The systems will be fitted to Heart’s ES-30 30-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft, which is intended to enter service in 2028 and has secured around 250 orders to date. Work covered by the grant will be undertaken at heart’s new Los Angeles R&D hub, opened in May 2024, which has superseded heart’s previous Gothenburg facility.
Earlier this year, Heart Aerospace CEO and co-founder Anders Forslund described Los Angeles as “one of the top hotspots for talent,” telling Aerospace Global News that there is “a such a strong draw in the US market for what [Heart are] doing”.
Heart closed its Series B funding round in February this year, raising a total of $107 million to augment its previous $38 million.
The FAA Grant Program, made possible by the US Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, is aimed at accelerating the development and adoption of sustainable aviation technologies in the US. Over $46.5 million worth of grants has thus far been allocated to new aviation technologies; something Heart describes as “a vital first step in ensuring that both technology and SAF are scaled in the US”.
