HYTEC PROJECT. Cross-section of the improved turbofan jet engine developed by NASA and GE Aerospace

An Indo-Norwegian startup, SiriNor, announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week that it has developed an “electric jet engine” that it expects to be ready for drones by mid-2026. SiriNor, which was invited to present its work at the WEF, says it aims to scale up the technology for commercial aviation platforms by 2030.

Electric flying is now proving to be the same exciting challenge for scientists, investors and aviation enthusiasts as the first bi-winged, wooden and fabric contrivance was to the Wright brothers, a seeming incredulity being yanked into the realm of the possible. Electric flying is almost within reach now, and a handful of startups like SiriNor are promising to get their machines roaring into the skies in the next half decade.

But these efforts are confined, for now, to small aircraft meant for short hops. That is good for starters; the real meal, however, is getting the Boeings and Airbuses — with hundreds of passengers aboard — to fly without burning fossil fuel.

That is genuinely a long haul — no one should expect it day after tomorrow. Still, small but meaningful steps in that direction are becoming visible. One such step came in December 2025, when NASA and GE Aerospace completed the ground testing of a commercial hybrid-electric engine demonstrator. What, exactly, does that mean?

‘Hybrid’ outlook

The large engines that power an Airbus from Mumbai to New York do more than generate thrust. They also supply electricity for avionics, air-conditioning, lighting and motors that operate systems such as landing gear. This is where the idea of “hybrid-electric” propulsion enters the picture.

The question engineers are grappling with is this: Can more electrical power be extracted from the engine without burning additional fuel — so that a greater share of the fuel’s energy is devoted to propulsion rather than onboard systems?

To address this, NASA and GE Aerospace are working on the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project. It is not so much a revolutionary leap as a carefully engineered one: Extracting significantly more electrical power from the engine core while improving overall fuel efficiency and cutting emissions.

Modern commercial aircraft are powered by turbofan engines, easily recognised as the large nacelles slung under the wings. The big rotating fan at the front ingests air as the aircraft moves forward. Much of this air bypasses the engine core and exits at the rear, producing thrust — rather like air rushing out of an inflated balloon. The rest flows into the core, where it is mixed with fuel and combusted. The resulting hot gases drive the turbine, contributing additional thrust. The core is also where electrical power is generated for aircraft systems.

HyTEC seeks to improve the thermal efficiency of this core — in plain terms, to make it run hotter without damaging the materials it is made of. Higher thermal efficiency allows more power to be extracted electrically.

Central to this effort is the concept of a small-core turbofan. A smaller core operating at higher pressures and temperatures can be more efficient, but it also poses formidable engineering challenges. Managing extreme heat, ensuring stable combustion and integrating with increasingly electrified aircraft systems are all crucial tasks. HyTEC is designed to confront these challenges directly.

The project aims to enable power extraction of up to 20 per cent at cruise altitude — roughly two to four times what today’s engines manage. NASA has several initiatives under way in hybrid-electric aviation, but HyTEC stands out as the most promising, says MN Suma, Power Electronics Leader (Research) at GE Aerospace, Bengaluru.

Notably, HyTEC involves no onboard batteries. It is also designed to operate on a higher ratio of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in blended fuels, indicating that SAF will play a central role in aviation’s near- and medium-term decarbonisation.

While the December 2025 ground tests mark an important milestone, Suma cautions that bringing this technology to full commercial maturity will take time — possibly a decade.

Hybrid-electric propulsion, she argues, is a pragmatic bridge in aviation’s energy transition. Fully electric or hydrogen-powered large aircraft remain distant prospects, but improving engine efficiency, enabling deeper electrification and ensuring compatibility with sustainable fuels together offer a credible pathway forward.

India’s contribution

India plays a significant role in GE Aerospace’s global innovation network, Suma told businessline. In Bengaluru, the company has built a multidisciplinary team working on technologies critical to future hybrid and electric aircraft. It combines expertise in electronics, thermal management, materials and mechanical design to develop compact, lightweight and reliable power systems capable of operating at very high temperatures.

A particular focus is the power converter — an essential component in hybrid-electric propulsion that manages the flow and transformation of electrical power across aircraft systems. The Bengaluru team is designing converters that deliver high power density while being robust enough to survive the harsh environment inside an aircraft engine.

“Power electronics and system modelling — understanding how components developed across geographies behave when integrated — are two key strengths of GE Aerospace Bengaluru,” Suma says.

More Like This

Published on January 26, 2026