Safran and battery subsidiary Saft have delivered their first semi-solid battery cells for future electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, moving their aviation partnership into evaluation and integration work. Saft developed and manufactured the cells at new multi-technology solid-state battery production lines in Bordeaux, France, while Safran’s System Test Center in Niort will lead most testing and validation activities for future aircraft battery systems.
The collaboration, first announced at the 2025 Paris Air Show, will now assess the delivered cells and support development of more advanced battery prototypes for potential aviation applications. The programme is focused on battery technologies for electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, where energy storage performance remains a key system consideration.
Safran and Saft plan to extend the partnership to solid-state cells and batteries from 2027. The companies have not disclosed a launch customer, aircraft programme, cell performance figures, certification schedule or aviation production volumes. The cells are entering an industrialisation and evaluation phase and are not identified as certified aircraft equipment.