Airbus is one of the eight companies involved in four projects receiving Quebec government financial support as they work towards creating the aerospace of the future. PHOTO courtesy Airbus.
The Québec government will be contributing more than $47 million to support four aerospace projects aimed at developing the aircraft of tomorrow and sustainable mobility in aerospace.
By supporting these four mobilizing projects, whose total investments are estimated at more than $94.9 million, the Québec government says it’s enabling eight companies to combine their efforts to carry out projects that will develop products, solutions and processes for the aircraft of tomorrow.
” Quebec’s aerospace industry stands out for its ability to innovate, particularly in the area of sustainable mobility. Through these mobilizing projects, we are taking a step further toward making the aircraft of tomorrow a reality and thus reducing GHG emissions in Québec and internationally,” said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region.
The supported mobilizing projects include:
Aquarel 3 Project – Les dirigeables Flying Whales Québec inc. and Thales Canada
Les dirigeables Flying Whales Québec inc. and Thales Canada are partnering on the AQUAREL 3 project to further develop the control systems that will be integrated into the Flying Whales airship, the LCA60T, a next-generation aircraft for point-to-point transport of heavy or bulky loads in remote or landlocked areas while minimizing the environmental footprint. This mobilizing project will enable the two partners to develop an ultra-compact electric flight control system and a state-of-the-art connected avionics suite.
CADAQ-100 Project – Airbus Canada, Pratt & Whitney Canada and SAF+ Consortium
The CADAQ-100 mobilization project brings together three companies operating in Québec, Airbus Canada, Pratt & Whitney Canada and SAF+ Consortium, with the aim of supporting greater utilization of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The collaborative project will study and test multiple varieties of SAF, including in-flight testing of 100% pure “unblended” SAF on the Airbus A220 aircraft propelled by Pratt & Whitney GTFMC engines, and e-SAF manufactured by the Power to Liquid (PtL) process, as developed by the SAF+ Consortium. Also, the project will include economic feasibility studies for establishing a commercial SAF production plant in Québec, providing a local, sustainable facility to help decarbonize the aviation industry, which is the SAF+ Consortium’s ultimate aim.
CMC Electronics and Bell Textron Canada Ltd. Project
The proposal from the Bell Textron Canada Limited and CMC Electronics team includes the development of systems to perform autonomous hybrid electric-powered logistics missions. The goal of this project is to develop a portfolio of technologies to address energy efficiency, air traffic management system adaptability, and safety issues related to future autonomous aircraft.
CSAF Project – Bombardier and Thales Canada
The CSAF (Control System for the Aircraft of the Future) project, a collaboration between Bombardier and Thales Canada, Avionics, aims to create a control platform for tomorrow’s aircraft with a reduced environmental footprint. The project focuses on the development of a modular airborne systems testbed for new control architectures, to optimize weight, volume and power requirements on board and to enable new design approaches enhancing aircraft’s environmental performance.
