Heart Aerospace Secures 2.9 Million Dollars FAA Grant

The Federal Aviation Administration awarded 2.9 million dollars to Heart Aerospace on October 12, 2026, to accelerate the development and testing of the hybrid-electric propulsion system for its ES-36 regional aircraft, aerobuzz.fr reported. The funding is part of the agency’s Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise program, known as CLEEN, according to aeromorning.com.

Project HYPER Seeks Turbogenerator Validation Over 24 Months

The grant funds a 24-month research and development initiative called Project HYPER, short for Hybrid Propulsion Environmental Readiness, which focuses on validating the turbogenerators that will extend the aircraft range. Heart Aerospace will match the federal funding with an equal investment, bringing the total program budget to 5.8 million dollars, aeromorning.com reported. The work program examines interactions among the turbogenerators, batteries, and electric motors.

Ground tests will precede flight demonstrations using a pre-production ES-36 aircraft. The manufacturer targets a first flight for that test vehicle in 2028, aeromorning.com and aerobuzz.fr reported. The trials are intended to yield data on energy consumption, fuel burn, emissions, and noise to guide the design and future certification of the regional plane.

Series Configuration Balances Battery Range With Regional Fuel Use

Heart Aerospace unveiled the production configuration of the ES-36 on September 23, 2026, replacing its earlier ES-30 design. The 36-passenger aircraft uses a series hybrid architecture where propellers are driven by electric motors, while gas turbines and generators produce electricity in flight, aeromorning.com reported. Each propulsion nacelle houses a 1.65-megawatt electric motor and a megawatt-class turbogenerator.

The aircraft relies on a Total Hybrid Electric Management and Integration System to coordinate power distribution between the batteries and generators. The setup enables all-electric flights up to 125 miles or 200 kilometers, while hybrid mode extends the total range up to 745 miles or 1,200 kilometers using conventional Jet A fuel or sustainable aviation fuel, aeromorning.com and aerobuzz.fr reported.

JSX Firm Order Follows Configuration Shift to ES-36

U.S. regional carrier JSX signed a purchase agreement backed by a deposit for 50 ES-36 aircraft on September 23, 2026, including purchase rights for another 50 units, aeromorning.com reported. That agreement converted an earlier letter of intent into a firm commitment. Earlier pledges from United Airlines and Air Canada for the previous ES-30 model require formal confirmation to transfer to the redesigned ES-36 architecture.