LE BOURGET—Zero-emission propulsion developer ZeroAvia’s June 2022 memorandum of understanding with low-carbon regional aircraft lessor Monte has matured into the first definitive purchase for hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion systems.
Monte has converted the agreement for up to 100 hydrogen-electric engines into the first production slots for ZeroAvia’s 600-kW ZA600 powertrain. The Cessna Caravan is the planned launch platform, with the ZA600 set to replace the popular aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop.
ZeroAvia has completed 10 flights of a ZA600 demonstrator engine on a Dornier 228 testbed in the UK and plans to conclude flight testing in July, Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia founder and CEO, told the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation forum in San Diego on June 13.
The startup will then apply for certification of the production ZA600, aiming to retrofit nine 19-seat aircraft for airline operators beginning in 2025. Caravan manufacturer Textron Aviation is a full partner on the program, Miftakhov said. The company also has agreements with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Regional Jet on the Bombardier CRJ, De Havilland Canada on the Dash 8-400 and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. on the Dornier 228, he said.
ZeroAvia, which has raised more than $150 million so far, has pre-orders for more than 1,500 engines, Miftakhov said. These include ZA600 and the 2-5-megawatt-class ZA2000 engine now in development. The first application for the ZA2000 is the Dash 8-400, which is planned for flight in 2024.
