Honeywell tests 1 MW hybrid-electric generator for airship

Honeywell Aerospace tests a 1 MW generator in a Mexicali test cell, and Flying Whales will integrate it into the hybrid-electric powertrain of its LCA60T airship. The unit reaches 1 MW steady state at 97% efficiency, giving hybrid-electric aircraft developers a megawatt-class electrical source.

By SamPublished October 28, 2026Updated November 9, 20262 min read

Honeywell engineers run the generator in November 2022 at a test cell in Mexicali, Mexico. The proof-of-concept regime includes steady-state operation at 1 MW for extended periods, followed by a reduced-speed run at 17,000 rpm, with operating behavior and temperatures monitored throughout. Afterward the team disassembles the machine and inspects the rotor, stator and other key components, finding no abnormalities. Measured efficiency is 97%, and the results exceed the launch customer’s requirements.

Flying Whales, a French and Canadian company, will integrate the generator into the hybrid-electric propulsion system of the LCA60T, a vertical takeoff and landing rigid airship. The powertrain pairs the generator with a conventional turbine engine for a combined 4 MW, and both can run on sustainable aviation fuel.

The unit can recharge the batteries that supply an aircraft’s electric motors or act as a motor turning propellers. According to Cristian Anghel, a Senior Technical Fellow at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, no generator before this one was built with the specific needs of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft in mind. He says its output is four times that of any other aviation generator available today, in a smaller, lighter package.

Why it matters

The LCA60T is designed to lift heavy loads from remote or hard-to-reach sites, carrying cargo slung below the hull or in a bay 96 meters long, 8 meters wide and 7 meters high. The airship is 200 meters long and relies on 10 non-pressurized helium cells for lift. Intended uses range from timber extraction to construction, power projects, logistics and humanitarian missions.

Honeywell positions the generator as an extension of its power-systems experience, which began with its first auxiliary power unit, and as part of a portfolio that includes avionics for urban air mobility and UAV platforms. In the UAV segment the company offers hydrogen fuel-cell systems such as the 1200U, rated at 1200 W, a far lower power class. Its propulsion work also includes the HON1600 small turbine engine for the USAF CCA program.

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