Bombardier’s EcoJet research project yields current and future benefits

As part of our special Sustainability series, we present a special feature on our groundbreaking EcoJet research project

Bombardier’s EcoJet research project is on an encouraging path towards reducing future aircraft emissions by up to 50 per cent. While the EcoJet, or its derivatives, may not take flight until the 2030s, the lessons learned from its development are immediately applicable to increasing the efficiency of the company’s current business jets. 

“EcoJet aims at developing the technology that Bombardier will need for the future of its airplane portfolios,” explained Benoit Breault, Director of Research and Technology at Bombardier. “It will help us support our Net Zero commitment by 2050 through the application of various technologies, processes and tools.” 

Publicly announced in May of 2022, EcoJet takes a three-pronged approach to halving current aircraft emissions. 

Aerodynamics will account for 20 per cent of the improvements, through a blended-wing design. 

“We believe this will be the design of the business aircraft of the future,” said Breault. “Typically, wings are very efficient in terms of their shape, but fuselages are not efficient at all. So, the benefit of that blended-wing technology is to create more wings and less fuselage. If you can shape the fuselage in a more wing-like arrangement, then the fuselage generates lift, too. It’s more efficient.” 

New propulsion systems are expected to reduce emissions by a further 20 per cent. Since next generation engine technology is still evolving. 

Finally, the remaining 10 per cent of emissions savings will be realized by generating lighter structures through more precise simulation. 

“As we simulate the behaviour of our structures and how they manage loads in flight, we think we can improve those simulations to build lighter structures,” said Breault. “There is a way to be smarter and leaner in our structural design.” 

Additionally, as sustainable aviation fuels become more accessible, Breault believes their use could realize a further 40 per cent reduction in emissions. That would bring the EcoJet within 10 per cent of achieving the Net Zero goal – a gap that could be closed through market-based measures such as carbon credits. 

Encouraging results 

The EcoJet research project supports Bombardier’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) plan, which calls for over 50 per cent of R&D investments in greener aircraft development by 2025. To date, project testing has seen encouraging results. 

“Because EcoJet involves unconventional airplane configurations, we’ve used scale model flight testing,” explained Breault. “We build and fly scaled versions of autonomous drones to validate new configurations.” 

In the first phase, which is now complete, the test drone was about seven (7) per cent of the size of a Global business jet.  

“Our results confirmed that flight dynamics modelling was close enough to the reality with that drone and its behaviour in flight. We went on to the second phase, with a model that is just less than 20 per cent scale with an 18-foot wingspan. It first flew in the summer of 2022.” 

The EcoJet team is also working to improve the project’s simulation tool environment. Using project lifecycle management (PLM) software, engineers can build the foundation for digital twin programs that can be fed with more precise data from flight testing.   

Such cutting-edge applications are fresh and exciting. Breault said EcoJet generates huge interest within Bombardier and has been a boon to external recruiting efforts. 

“It speaks to the next generation of engineers – there is a future that matches the reality of greenhouse gases and environmental issues,” he said. “It’s also generated an amazing response with our partners, including research institutions, universities and suppliers.” 

Meanwhile, present-day Bombardier aircraft are already benefitting from EcoJet research through the development of smarter algorithms for health monitoring systems and other efficiency enhancements. 

Looking further ahead, the project is also refining autonomous functions so Bombardier products will one day be compatible with reduced-crew and single-pilot operations. 

Blended-wing design has been explored for quite a while in military applications, added Breault, so synergies also exist with Bombardier Defense and the missionization of business aircraft.