GE Aerospace said its modified Saab 340B flew above 30,000 feet in hybrid-electric mode, achieving what the company described as an aviation first ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow.
The company announced the milestone on Monday, July 20, after conducting flight tests with support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Boeing and BETA Technologies.
The test aircraft carried GE Aerospace’s hybrid-electric propulsion system inside one engine nacelle. During one test sequence, the aircraft remained in hybrid-electric mode for more than two hours, including part of its transatlantic journey to England.
The propulsion system combined a conventional CT7 turboprop engine with GE motor-generators, power converters, controllers and electrical equipment. Avio Aero supplied gearboxes, while Dowty provided the propeller system.
The future of flight is here, and it’s electric. ⚡
Witness history as GE Aerospace, @NASAaero, @BETA_aircraft, and @Boeing accomplished a first in hybrid electric flight. #GEAerospaceFIA #FIA2026 pic.twitter.com/DsmvyfQ568
— GE Aerospace (@GE_Aerospace) July 20, 2026BAE Systems supplied the batteries, and Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary, produced the modified nacelle used on the demonstrator aircraft.
GE Aerospace Chairman and Chief Executive Officer H. Lawrence Culp Jr. said the flight marked a major development in the company’s electrified-propulsion programme.
The company began hybrid-electric development work in 2016. It later completed megawatt-class ground testing at simulated altitudes reaching 45,000 feet and tested a battery-free hybrid-electric engine configuration in January 2026.
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GE plans to apply data from the demonstrator to future propulsion programmes, including CFM International’s RISE engine project, which aims to deliver more than 20% better fuel efficiency than current commercial engines.
The modified Saab 340B is scheduled to conduct public demonstration flights during the Farnborough airshow, where GE will also place the aircraft on static display.
