The test centre will provide a space to research technologies for alternative propulsion systems and energy sources – such as electric motors for unmanned aerial vehicles, hybrid propulsion systems and hydrogen for combustion or synthetic fuel use. The building, which allows complete systems to be integrated and tested, is the first test centre of its kind worldwide.

Known as the E-Aircraft System House (EAS), this modern test centre is about the size of ten tennis courts. The multi-purpose integration hall will welcome fuselages and wings, propulsion units, cables and avionics—all of which need to be tested. “This is where we put the engines through their paces,” explains Martin Nüsseler, Head of E-Aircraft Systems. “We can test everything from electric motors for unmanned flying taxis to hybrid-electric engines for the commercial aircraft of the future.”

The EAS House is a €50-million investment with one clear goal: to develop the in-depth expertise on the alternative propulsion technology needed to help the first generation of zero-emission commercial aircraft take to the skies within the 2030s timeframe.