HERA Newsletter, Issue 3 has been released!

The third issue of the HERA Newsletter focuses on the significant progress achieved in advancing Use Case B, (UCB) a forward looking regional aircraft concept designed to enable deep decarbonisation beyond 2035 within the Clean Aviation framework. Centered on distributed hybrid electric propulsion, liquid hydrogen, and fuel cell technologies, the concept integrates advanced aerodynamics, innovative wing and fuselage architectures, and high efficiency system solutions to deliver substantial reductions in fuel consumption and emissions. The newsletter highlights multidisciplinary optimisation efforts, aero propulsive integration studies, and the development of key components such as hydrogen storage systems, while emphasising strong synergies across collaborative projects. Overall, Use Case B is positioned as a comprehensive validation platform that strengthens the technical foundation for next generation, low emission regional aviation and supports the transition toward a sustainable aviation ecosystem. 

Read the full newsletter here. 

HERA at ILA Berlin 2026

Unified International will be present at ILA Berlin 2026, actively participating in the Clean Aviation tours and engaging with key stakeholders across the aerospace community. Although not exhibiting through a dedicated booth, Unified will contribute to the event by showcasing its involvement in the HERA project, with a particular emphasis on publicly available activities and results from Work Package 5. The team will also highlight the strategic synergies between HERA and the Dutch national initiative HAPSS (Hydrogen Aircraft Powertrain and Storage System), fostering dialogue around advanced fuel cell technologies and high-voltage propulsion systems that are shaping the future of sustainable aviation.

HERA at the International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics (IFASD 2026) 

At the International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics (IFASD 2026), taking place in Göttingen, Germany, from June 16–19, the HERA consortium will be strongly represented, with the following contributions:

• Siegfried Hlasek (AIRBUS) will present the work entitled “Aeroelastic Shape Optimization of a Hybrid Regional Aircraft with Distributed Propulsion,” focusing on sizing optimisation and trade-off analyses for the HERA Use Case B configuration. The study highlights the potential for significant structural weight savings by leveraging distributed propulsion concepts, while balancing aerodynamic performance and control requirements. The results demonstrate that an optimal combination of reduced structural weight and manageable control effort can be achieved through advanced optimisation methodologies. These promising findings pave the way for further investigation using higher-fidelity approaches to fully unlock the benefits of this innovative design strategy.
• Francesco Toffol (POLIMI) will present a study entitled “Adaptive Control Law for Active Flutter Suppression in the Presence of Actuation Failure,” exploring an aero servo elastic state space model of a semi wing equipped with dual control surfaces subject to flutter phenomena. The proposed control strategy combines a classical Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) approach with Loop Transfer Recovery (LTR) corrections for Active Flutter Suppression, alongside an advanced control allocation block designed to redistribute control effort in the event of actuator failure. The results demonstrate that, while system stability can be maintained without the allocator, its integration significantly enhances performance by reducing response time and minimizing unnecessary control energy expenditure, thereby improving overall system efficiency and robustness.

HERA at the International Conference on Electrical Machines (ICEM) 2026 

Jundong Wang (TUDelft) will present the paper “Sensor Fault Tolerant Control of H8 CSI Fed PMSM Using Adaptive Kalman Filter” at the International Conference on Electrical Machines (ICEM) 2026, taking place from September 6–9 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. This work introduces an advanced adaptive Kalman filter (AKF)-based control strategy for current source inverter fed permanent magnet synchronous motor drives, offering a robust and innovative approach to sensor fault tolerance. By significantly reducing reliance on conventional fault detection thresholds and simplifying control logic, the proposed method effectively addresses open circuit faults in both motor current and capacitor voltage sensors, while enabling seamless self recovery upon sensor reconnection. Coupled with an active damping current controller, the solution ensures stable and reliable operation even under fault conditions. Experimental validation demonstrates its effectiveness across multiple fault scenarios, maintaining stable performance at motor frequencies of up to 1 kHz. This contribution highlights a promising advancement in resilient, high performance electric propulsion systems.

The Race to 2035: Hybrid Electric and Sustainable Aviation Fuel vs Hydrogen Aviation -Online Webinar 

Last but not least, we are delighted to announce the upcoming launch of an online webinar debate organised by the HERA project.

Entitled “The Race to 2035: Hybrid Electric and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) vs Hydrogen Aviation,” the webinar will address a pivotal question for the future of clean aviation: “Which pathway is closer to certification, can scale more rapidly, and is most likely to deliver tangible impact by 2035?”

As the race towards climate-neutral aviation accelerates, the outcome remains far from predetermined. From regional hybrid-electric concepts to hydrogen-powered medium-haul solutions, Clean Aviation projects are steadily advancing the technological frontier through demonstrators, system tests, and continuous innovation.

The debate will bring together leading initiatives: HERA and HERFUSE (Team 1), and H2ELIOS and CAVENDISH (Team 2). Each project contributes a critical piece to a broader innovation landscape, offering complementary perspectives on future propulsion pathways.

Moving beyond competing narratives, the webinar aims to foster a constructive dialogue on how these approaches may converge to support a common Clean Aviation vision—recognising that diverse missions and timelines may ultimately require integrated and complementary solutions.

The webinar is scheduled for launch in the last week of September. Stay tuned for further details and registration information in the coming months!

The project is supported by the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking and its members.​

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking. Neither the European Union nor Clean Aviation JU can be held responsible for them.