Advanced Power Generation Systems for More Electric Aircraft

This paper describes the technologies pursuant to more electric aircraft. The title “More Electric Aircraft” is an appropriate appellation to describe the inexorable trend towards the use of more electrics in future advanced military and commercial aircraft. This trend is sponsored and supported by the U.S. Air Force/WRDC, USN/NADC and NASA. Most recently, the Department of the Air Force issued a solicitation with the acronym MADMEL: Power Management and Distribution for More Electric Aircraft. This is a major multi-year program which includes a MADMEL ground demonstrator and flight testing of electric technologies that will replace the several multiple power sources now resident in current aircraft.

The trend is not without justification since under the acronyms of AEA (All Electric Aircraft) and IDEA (Integrated Digital Electric Aircraft) studies completed by the Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company (LASC) and Boeing revealed major weight and cost savings as well as significant improvements in logistics/maintenance support. NASA was the primary force behind these studies, and the programs were cost shared between NASA and the airframe companies.