Embraer and GKN Aerospace to Work Together on Potential Hydrogen Demonstrator

PARIS, France - Two major players in the aerospace industry, Embraer and GKN Aerospace, have joined forces at the 2023 Paris Airshow, signing an agreement to work together on "cutting-edge hydrogen technological development programmes".
 

At this year's Paris Airshow, there has been quite the buzz about Hydrogen fuel and Hydrogen-powered aircraft. This is because it is imperative to the future of the aviation industry to cut down on carbon emissions. 

In a world where we are experiencing rapid global warming, one of the most logical solutions to the aviation industry's heavy reliance on fossil fuels is to transition to hydrogen fuel, which does not emit any harmful chemicals or gases apart from water vapor, the only greenhouse gas emitted from this technology.

With companies such as Airbus already on the way to developing hydrogen powered eco-demonstrators and APU ground units (which you can read about here), the race is on for which aerospace company will develop the first feasible, low cost, high-efficiency and tangible benefit hydrogen powered technologies. 

This is where Embraer and GKN Aerospace come into the picture. 

Embraer and GKN Aerospace - Researching Hydrogen-powered solutions in partnership.

This novel partnership agreement, signed and agreed to on June 21, will focus on studies related to the feasibility of Hydrogen-powered technologies, Hydrogen Research and Development programs, and exploring the idea of a potential Embraer hydrogen-powered "flight" demonstrator aircraft. 

In terms of the roles the two aerospace companies will play in their agreement to develop Hydrogen technology. Embraer will use its company's knowledge of aircraft design and vast resources, while GKN Aerospace will use the knowledge the company has obtained from running Hydrogen programs across Northern Europe. 

Embraer is hoping that the research it will be conducting with its new partner GKN Aerospace will eventually lead to the development of a hydrogen-powered Embraer demonstrator aircraft. 

"The imperativeness of sustainability drives research and development programmes at Embraer, and the potential development of a hydrogen flight demonstrator represents an important milestone in our technology roadmap towards the future of sustainable aviation..." states Luís Carlos Affonso, SVP of Engineering and Technological Development at Embraer. 

"Collaboration is key to exploring innovative solutions and accelerating disruptive technologies. That's why we are excited to work together with GKN Aerosapce to enable the application of disruptive technologies in a shared vision for a greener future." said Daniel Moczydlower, Global Head of Innovation Ecosystems at Embraer. 

"Hydrogen-powered aviation represents a tangible and compelling solution for achieving zero-emissions flight. Advancing this pioneering technology to the next level necessitates unparalleled collaboration within the industry, as exemplified by our partnership with Embraer..." adds Russ Dunn, CTO of GKN Aerospace. 

Besides the previous GKN has obtained from Hydrogen programs, the company is also currently developing a "highly efficient liquid hydrogen propulsion system...designed for sub-regional aircraft." The program, named H2Gear, has made strides in creating electricity from liquid hydrogen in a state-of-the-art fuel system. It is promising programs such as this one that have compelled Embraer to partner with GKN of all aerospace companies.

The future of air-travel is in hydrogen. When this revolution in air-travel happens, it seems Embraer will be at the forefront of development and implementation.