Rolls-Royce Deutschland will lead the ELEVATED project under the EU’s Clean Aviation programme, developing a hybrid-electric gas-turbine propulsion system for future short- and medium-range aircraft. The work will embed a hybrid-electric subsystem into a donor engine and feed results into the UltraFan 30 demonstrator, part of Rolls-Royce’s narrowbody technology programme. The project is designed to help validate lower-emission propulsion under realistic operating conditions.
ELEVATED is one of 19 projects selected in Clean Aviation Call 4, which aims to accelerate aviation decarbonisation and support European industrial competitiveness. The consortium spans industry, academic and research partners in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the UK. Clean Aviation links the call to up to €290 million in EU funding and €664 million in total public-private investment, with the broader target of enabling cleaner aircraft technologies for entry into service from 2035.
The funding remains subject to grant preparation, so final project contracting is still to be completed. The ultra-efficient propulsion work is expected to focus on short- and medium-haul narrowbody aircraft, where operators are under growing pressure to cut fuel burn and emissions without sacrificing range or payload.