Airbus has launched the next phase of its hybrid-electric aircraft technology roadmap with the Large Scale Integration Demonstrator of Hybrid Electrical Architecture (LEIA) project, a collaborative initiative aimed at advancing high-voltage electrical systems for future commercial aircraft.
Supported by the European Union’s Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, LEIA is designed to mature hybrid-electric non-propulsive energy architectures for next-generation short- and medium-range aircraft. The programme seeks to bridge the gap between individual component development and full aircraft integration, paving the way for future certification of advanced electrical systems.
The project builds on the recently completed SWITCH programme, which focused on hybrid-electric powertrain subsystems and achieved a major milestone with successful integrated laboratory testing led by Collins Aerospace in collaboration with Pratt & Whitney, GKN Aerospace and MTU Aero Engines.
The validated subsystems are now being transferred to Airbus’ Sustainable Technology and Engineering Projects (STEP) laboratory in Ottobrunn, Germany, where engineers will carry out aircraft-level integration testing. The work will include battery interfacing, electrical architecture design, and advanced energy management systems to evaluate the performance of the complete hybrid-electric ecosystem.
“Our progress in developing hybrid-electric technologies and our move into the LEIA demonstrator marks a pivotal shift in how we design the future of flight,” said Karim Mokaddem, Head of Aircraft of Tomorrow Research and Technology at Airbus.
“By moving to integrated, intelligent hybrid-electric architectures, we are actively laying the physical and digital foundation for the next generation of aircraft. This evolution demonstrates that the future of aviation is about more than just new power sources; it is also about the new ecosystems that will manage them,” he added.
As part of LEIA, Airbus will integrate a range of advanced electrical technologies, including scalable motor-generators, next-generation electronic controllers, power distribution systems and other aircraft electrical components. The technologies will undergo a comprehensive validation programme, culminating in a full-scale ground demonstrator planned for 2027.
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Beyond supporting the development of more electric aircraft, the programme is expected to shape future aircraft maintenance and certification requirements by introducing new high-voltage systems, advanced power management architectures and digital monitoring capabilities. These technologies are likely to influence future MRO practices as the industry prepares for increasingly electrified aircraft platforms.
LEIA brings together a broad consortium of aerospace and research organisations, including AVL, Collins Aerospace, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, GKN Aerospace, Liebherr Aerospace, Lynxeo, the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), Safran, SAFT, the University of Warwick, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and the European Aerospace Science Network (EASN), reflecting the growing cross-industry collaboration driving the transition toward more sustainable aviation.
