According to a recent announcement from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), China’s first megawatt‑class hybrid‑electric propulsion system has successfully completed a ground‑based combined performance test, achieving a critical breakthrough. This achievement strongly supports the birth of the country’s first megawatt‑class aviation hybrid‑electric system and fills a domestic gap in the engineering application of high‑power, high‑speed airborne generator systems.
Electric propulsion, as a key enabling technology for green aviation and the technological advancement of low‑altitude aircraft, has become one of the important hallmarks of a new era in aviation technology. High‑power airborne electrical power systems are the foundation for aircraft electric propulsion. However, constrained by the limited space on an aircraft and extremely high requirements for safety and reliability, such systems face multiple extreme challenges: high power, high speed, low loss, and lightweight design. Consequently, the technical barriers are high and the engineering implementation is extremely difficult.
To overcome these common industry challenges, the Wuxi Research Institute of NUAA, the School of Automation Engineering of NUAA, and Shanghai Electric Group jointly established the “Aviation Electric Propulsion Motor System Joint Innovation Center”. In addition, they formed a joint task force with the overall system integrator – AECC Hunan Aviation Powerplant Research Institute (AECC HAPRI) – to focus on addressing the shortcomings of core electric propulsion equipment. The team successfully developed a high‑performance megawatt‑class high‑speed turbine generator system and achieved breakthroughs in key technical indicators for ground testing of megawatt‑class hybrid‑electric systems.
It is reported that NUAA’s innovation team “Motor Systems and Control for More‑Electric and All‑Electric Aircraft” has been deeply engaged in this field for many years. In this collaboration, the joint task force overcame a series of core technologies and processes, including redundant topology electromagnetic design, efficient heat dissipation, high‑speed rotating seals, and high‑power, high‑dynamic stability control, effectively solving industry problems related to temperature rise, vibration, and reliability of megawatt‑class aviation motors.
Through close tripartite cooperation, the megawatt‑class high‑speed turbine generator system successfully completed two key milestone tests. First, the team completed a one‑hour stable operation test of the generator on a ground test bench at full power, verifying the reliability of the single‑unit design. Subsequently, an integrated direct‑drive full‑power joint test was successfully conducted with the AECC HAPRI’s AES100 turboshaft engine, thereby validating the complete power chain from turbine mechanical power to electrical output.
This high‑speed generator has a rated power of 1,000 kW and a rated speed of 20,900 rpm. It features a lightweight, high‑power‑density design and excellent operational efficiency. It is the first megawatt‑class aviation generator system in China to meet ground performance targets, marking a key breakthrough in the country’s high‑power aviation hybrid‑electric technology field.
According to an official from the Wuxi Research Institute of NUAA, the institute has now established a full product portfolio of aviation generator systems covering multiple power levels. This includes high‑power aviation generator systems covering the 350 kW, 500 kW, and 1 MW classes, as well as a series of high‑speed aviation generator systems focusing on the speed range of 40,000–65,000 rpm. These products can be widely applied to hybrid‑electric aircraft, electric vertical take‑off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, general aviation, and more. In the future, the institute will continue to deepen industry‑academia‑research collaboration, accelerate the pace of key technology breakthroughs, airworthiness certification, and industrialization promotion, and provide core power to drive the high‑quality development of the low‑altitude economy.
Based on this, The 14th Annual China Aerospace Propulsion Technology Forum 2026 will be held on September 16–17 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. The forum aims to bring together the strength of the entire industry chain, promote breakthroughs in key technologies, and foster collaborative innovation among industry, academia, and research. As a time‑honored and authoritative professional event in the field of aero engines and propulsion systems in China, the China Aerospace Propulsion Technology Forum operates under a unique mechanism of rotating hosting among the major manufacturing plants of AECC (Aero Engine Corporation of China). The forum has been held successively in major aero‑engine hub cities such as Xi‘an, Chengdu, Changsha, and Shenyang.