NASA will develop an 18-engine electric aircraft using the air frame of a Tecnam P2006T, the Italian manufacturer announced yesterday.
The experiment is part of the LEAPTech (Leading Edge Asynchronous Propellors Technology) program, NASA's plan to help a significant portion of the general aviation industry transition to electrical propulsion within the next ten years.
NASA will fit an experimental 31-foot aircraft wing with 18 electric motors placed along the leading edge onto a Tecnam P2006T fuselage. The wing is made of carbon composite, while the electric engines are powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries. The wing and electric motors will both be manufactured and integrated on the P2006T airframe by the US-based companies ESAero and Joby Aviation.
Researchers hope to fly the modified Tecnam P2006T piloted X-plane within the next couple years, enabling NASA engineers to easily compare the performance with the standard Tecnam P2006T twin.