Avionics Leaders Gear Up for a Greener Future

With the increasing awareness of environmental concerns and the push towards a more sustainable future, leading avionics OEMs have set ambitious goals to play their part in reducing carbon emissions. A deep dive into the plans of companies like Honeywell, Thales, and GE Aerospace reveals a comprehensive and future-forward approach to sustainability.

David Shilliday, Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Air Mobility at Honeywell, outlined the company’s "10-10-10" strategy in an interview with Avionics International. This strategy, set in 2018 and due in 2024, aims at achieving three pivotal goals. The first targets a 10% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions intensity from 2018 levels. The second aspect focuses on the implementation of renewable energy, aiming to deploy ten instances of renewable solutions across their global operations.

The third tier targets ISO 50001 approval at ten of Honeywell's facilities. Shilliday expressed confidence in the company's progress, stating, "We’re on track to achieve all three of those—or exceed all three of those, candidly—by 2024.” Beyond this, Honeywell has set its sights on a more extended goal: achieving carbon neutrality for both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions across all facilities and operations by 2035.

GE Aerospace has also taken significant steps towards sustainability. A spokesperson from the company shared with Avionics that GE had set a target in 2020 to achieve carbon neutrality for its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. “In 2021, GE announced an ambition to be net zero by 2050 for the Scope 3 emissions associated with the use of sold products,” the spokesperson said.

Julien Lopez, Green Aviation project director for the avionics business at Thales, highlighted the company’s aim of reducing operational CO2 emissions by a substantial 50% by 2030. The company has been proactive in moving towards this objective by driving product innovation and championing eco-design across its range. Thales also incorporates a robust supply chain engagement plan.

Thales is leveraging its expertise in avionics and air traffic management (ATM) to unearth innovative solutions. “Optimizing flight operations enables each flight to be executed in the most efficient way from gate to gate,” said Lopez. “This potentially reduces CO2 emissions for long haul flights by up to 11% and short haul flights by up to 13%.”

Furthermore, Lopez emphasized the importance of also addressing non-CO2 emissions, which could constitute up to two-thirds of aviation’s total climate impact.

These avionics giants are not only shaping their own sustainable futures but are also closely aligning with and propelling broader industry and global environmental objectives.

Honeywell has anchored its sustainability agenda on the broader industry target of zero emissions by 2050. In the interview with Avionics, David Shilliday shed light on Honeywell's approach, emphasizing the company's forward-thinking strategy. "A lot of what we work on is what the vehicle and the infrastructure needs to look like for aviation to be truly zero emissions by 2050," Shilliday remarked. This encompasses a reimagined perspective on fuel systems and aircraft designs.

Honeywell's method involves anticipating the future and reverse engineering solutions by identifying what needs to be operational by 2050 and consequently when these technologies should mature. Shilliday also highlighted the importance of optimizing the present aviation fleet, underlining initiatives like sustainable aviation fuel, flight efficiency tools, and various modifications. Honeywell aims not only to prepare for the future but also to extract maximum efficiency from current assets.

The spokesperson from GE Aerospace underscored their support for industry-wide efforts, particularly the commitment to reduce CO2 emissions. The spokesperson shared, “Members of Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), including GE Aerospace, adopted in 2021 a long-term climate goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, confirming the aviation industry’s target to reduce CO2 emissions in support of the Paris Agreement 1.5oC goal."

Thales has been collaborating on an international scale to contribute to greener skies. Julien Lopez of Thales elaborated on their involvement in a major European project named CONCERTO. “CONCERTO aims to optimize air traffic environmental performance; this project is funded through SESAR3,” Lopez said. “Thales is also working on these topics with partners in Singapore, Dubai, and Canada, and we are currently looking into collaborations in the U.S.” These partnerships are instrumental in refining the maturity of Thales' solutions and facilitating their rollout to various stakeholders.

When asked about how they are harnessing technology to enhance fuel efficiency, representatives from Honeywell, GE Aerospace, and Thales unveiled a suite of innovations that are both operational and on the horizon.

David Shilliday of Honeywell noted two primary innovations. Firstly, Honeywell’s flight efficiency tool employs advanced data analytics and management for holistic operational optimization. This tool, which emphasizes route planning and ground operations, has already demonstrated its value, as evidenced by the significant operational improvements British Airways achieved by integrating it.

Shilliday's second highlight was the upgrade to their auxiliary power unit (APU) in the A320 and 737 aircraft. By integrating control modifications and diffuser alterations, the upgraded APU boasts a 2% efficiency enhancement per aircraft. Shilliday emphasized, "Even a 2% improvement across those APUs—because the fleet is so big, and they operate so frequently—really adds up. We call that the high-efficiency mode upgrade to our APU,"

GE Aerospace’s spokesperson underscored a multi-pronged approach to the fuel efficiency challenge. “GE Aerospace has embarked on multiple engine technology demonstrators to accelerate emissions-lowering technologies for aircraft propulsion,” the representative shared. “Examples include the CFM Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) program in partnership with Safran Aircraft Engines and the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project with NASA.”

Beyond these tech innovations, GE Aerospace remains a supporter of alternative fuels. Since 2007, they've played an active role in evaluating and qualifying sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and are ardent advocates for its widespread adoption.

Thales’ Julien Lopez introduced a trio of innovations reflecting the company's commitment to greener aviation. “Thales is making breakthrough progress when it comes to flight management systems and cockpit avionics through connectivity and computing technologies by combining our strength in aeronautics and information technology,” Lopez said.

At the forefront is PureFlyt, a next-gen flight management system. PureFlyt optimizes real-time trajectory adjustments, resulting in significant fuel and CO2 emission savings. The Flight Footprint Estimator, another Thales brainchild, is a software tool designed to calculate both CO2 and non-CO2 emissions for any flight, supporting airlines and Air Navigation Service Providers in monitoring their environmental impact.

Lastly, Thales' Green Flag concept employs digital tools to bolster eco-friendly flight operations. By streamlining communication and coordination between airlines and ANSPs, Green Flag identifies airspaces conducive to eco-friendly operations, considering factors like aircraft trajectory, altitude, and speed.

In the age of digital transformation, data analytics and embedded computing are increasingly emerging as powerful tools in realizing sustainability targets in the aviation sector. Harnessing real-time and historical data, leading avionics companies are extracting insights that inform optimization, driving their commitment to eco-friendly skies.

Honeywell stands out in its application of embedded computing. Highlighting the development of the high-efficiency mode upgrade for their APU, Shilliday revealed that it was the embedded computer's continuous performance evaluation that led to this innovation. By examining the data, Honeywell discerned opportunities to refine the APU's performance without drastic alterations to the machinery.

Beyond this, Honeywell has a suite of connected solutions that extract data from aircraft engines and systems. Such data-centric methodologies enable the creation of actionable recommendations. Shilliday elaborated, “We can make recommendations based on these things that you can do as an airline or as a private jet operator to improve your fuel efficiency, but it really comes down to how they want to operate the aircraft. So we try and give them those suggestions, and then they can use those tools to tailor it within their own specific operations."

For GE Aerospace, while the introduction of new engine technologies is undeniably a focus, they recognize the inherent value of digital tools in driving immediate change. A spokesperson for the company pointed to a range of software applications developed by GE that aim to minimize CO2 emissions and bolster operational efficiency. FlightPulse, a flight analytics tool, aids airline pilots in refining operational and safety decisions and provides insights on potential fuel savings. Similarly, the Fuel Insight tool guides airlines in pinpointing avenues to enhance fuel consumption. “Airspace Insight offers flight path design and maintenance to assist aircraft operators in ensuring routes are optimally designed to minimize time, fuel, and emissions,” the representative from GE shared.

Leading avionics companies are joining hands with various industry partners to innovate and elevate their green initiatives. These partnerships and joint ventures signify a collective push towards a greener future, leveraging shared expertise and resources.

David Shilliday of Honeywell drew attention to two significant collaborations. First is an alliance with Denso, a Japanese automotive giant known for its prowess in electric motors. Honeywell, with its vast expertise in certifying and validating propulsion systems for aircraft, saw an opportunity in Denso's ability to produce high-quality, power-dense motors at an automotive scale.

This synergy is particularly crucial when addressing the emerging advanced air mobility market, which demands automotive-scale production. "We formed an alliance with Denso to provide electric propulsion systems to folks like Lilium who have announced that they're going to use the Honeywell Denso electric propulsor for their Lilium Jet," Shilliday noted.

In another strategic move, Honeywell acquired a division from Ballard, a fuel cell company. This acquisition focuses on the utilization of fuel cells for autonomous aircraft, bolstering Honeywell's ambition in the advanced air mobility domain and extending the range of electric aircraft.

The spokesperson for GE Aerospace highlighted a series of collaborations reflecting their commitment to industry-wide sustainability goals. One such collaboration is the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project with NASA. This project, supported by Boeing and its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, aims to develop a megawatt-class hybrid electric powertrain, with flight tests slated for the mid-decade using a modified Saab 340B aircraft powered by GE's CT7 engines.

Additionally, through the U.S. FAA's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) program, GE Aerospace has been championing the development of innovative engine technologies. GE's subsidiary, Avio Aero, has also been making waves in Europe as a member of Clean Aviation. Through this partnership, Avio Aero has been at the forefront of several initiatives, including the AMBER hybrid-electric demonstrator and the HYDEA project focused on hydrogen combustion engines.

Beyond these research-driven collaborations, GE Aerospace remains deeply engaged in the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) ecosystem. “GE Aerospace helps qualify alternative jet fuels for safe operation in GE jet engines, leads standards-setting committees for 100% drop-in SAF through ASTM International, is a member of The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, which is helping standardize sustainability criteria for SAF feedstock, and joined the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) to help support a growing marketplace for SAF,” the spokesperson shared. GE Aerospace is also an inaugural member of the United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund.

The pursuit of sustainability in aviation is not just about envisioning a greener future, but also about celebrating tangible milestones achieved en route. Leading avionics OEMs have been not only setting ambitious sustainability targets but also realizing them, marking their unwavering commitment to eco-friendly aviation.

David Shilliday of Honeywell shared some commendable achievements from their sustainability journey. Since 2004, the company has witnessed a staggering 90% reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas intensity. "We give ourselves short-term goals, typically in a five-year window. We've met or exceeded every goal we've given ourselves," Shilliday remarked. He cited specific target periods, like 2007 to 2011 and 2012 to 2016, wherein Honeywell aimed for 20% to 30% reductions and successfully achieved them. These accomplishments, documented in their ESG report, affirm Honeywell’s proactive approach, with Shilliday also confirming their progress towards the 10-10-10 goal set for 2024.

GE Aerospace’s spokesperson delineated multiple industry firsts signifying their push towards a sustainable flight future. A notable achievement in 2022 was the world's maiden test of a megawatt-class, multi-kilovolt hybrid electric propulsion system, simulating the conditions of single-aisle commercial flight.

Further illustrating their commitment to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the spokesperson highlighted milestones like the inaugural commercial demonstration flight with biofuel in 2008 and a historic flight in 2021 carrying passengers with one engine powered by 100% SAF. The CFM RISE program stands as a testament to GE's comprehensive tech endeavors, boasting over 100 tests since its 2021 launch, and advancing numerous pioneering technologies compatible with SAF and even exploring direct hydrogen combustion.

Julien Lopez highlighted three pivotal milestones from Thales:

1. The introduction of PureFlyt, promising 5% fuel savings per passenger on global commercial flights.
2. The Flight Footprint Estimators, adopted by various airlines including Amelia, aimed at understanding and proactively minimizing their non-CO2 impact.
3. The Green Flag concept, conceived in collaboration with Air France and DSNA, has already recorded over 100 kg of CO2 savings per flight.