HERFUSE Project: development of hybrid-electric fuselages and empennage systems for sustainable regional aircraft

Start date: 1 January 2024

End date:  31 December 2026

Participants:  Leonardo - Societa per Azioni, Airbus Helicopters Espana SA, Airbus Defence and Space SA, Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Easn Technology Innovation Services BV, Panepistimio Patron, Mare Engineering Group SPA, Aerosoft SPA, CEIIA (Centre for Engineering and Product Development), Asco Industries N.V., Desa SRL, C.I.R.A (Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali SCPA), Fundacion Aitiip, Fundacion Centro de Tecnologias Aeronauticas, Fundacion Andaluza para el Desarrollo Aeroespacial, Idec ingeneria y desarrollos de composites SL., Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, Siec badawcza lukasiewicz-instytutlotnictwa, Ideko S COOP, Asociacion de Investigacion Metalurgica del Noroeste, Deutsches Zentrum fur luft - und Raumfahrt EV, Aernnova Aerospace SAU, Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Esteban Terradas, UPM (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), Airbus Atlantic, Mecanizados Vitoria SA., Fundacion para la Investigacion, Desarrollo y Aplicacion de Materiales Compuestos, CT Ingenieros Aeronauticos de Automocion e Industriales SL, CSEM (Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA - Research and Development), ATR (Avions de Transport Regional).

Funding: Horizon Europe Framework Programme – Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking

HERFUSE project objectives 

The HERFUSE project aims to develop hybrid-electric fuselages and empennage systems for regional aircraft, contributing to emissions reduction and progress toward more sustainable aviation. The main objectives are:

• Design lightweight and efficient structures that integrate hybrid-electric technologies.
• Optimize mechanical and aerodynamic performance through advanced materials and innovative processes.
• Validate structural concepts through demonstrators and experimental testing.
• Align results with the objectives of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking program, boosting European competitiveness.

Applus+ Laboratories’ involvement

At Applus+ Laboratories, we participate in two key phases of the project:

• WP5 – Preliminary Design. We adapted our mechanical test bench to the specific design of the curved panels developed within HERFUSE, ensuring it meets the technical requirements needed to validate structural properties.
• WP8 – Demonstrators & Testing. We designed, implemented, and carried out the test bench for the manufactured curved panel demonstrators, verifying the mechanical characteristics of both the design and the manufacturing process. This stage includes generating experimental data to confirm the robustness and reliability of the proposed solutions by applying realistic mechanical loads to the panel as well as simulating internal pressure.

Our contribution ensures that the new hybrid-electric fuselage and empennage concepts meet the safety and performance standards required for future application in regional aircraft.

About Clean Aviation

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is the European Union’s main research and innovation program aimed at transforming aviation toward a sustainable and climate-neutral future.

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking takes a major step forward toward the European Union’s goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. It will do so by bringing together the best talent and capabilities from the public and private sectors, developing cutting-edge technologies, and making them available to enable a transformative leap in aircraft performance in the 2030s.

It acts as a hub for new ideas and bold innovations, operating at the heart of a broad and diverse ecosystem of stakeholders across Europe, ranging from the aeronautics community and pioneering SMEs to research centres and academia.

As a European public-private partnership, Clean Aviation pushes aeronautical science beyond the limits of imagination by creating new technologies that will significantly reduce aviation’s impact on the planet, enabling future generations to enjoy the social and economic benefits of air transport.

The project is supported by the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking and its members. It is funded by the European Union under grant agreement No. 101140567. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking. Neither the European Union nor the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking can be held responsible for them.