ZeroAvia will obtain a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to retrofit the Grand Caravan single-engine utility turboprop with the ZA600 zero-emission powertrain, targeting commercial passenger and cargo operators.

The Cessna Grand Caravan is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation. Its high-wing design makes it a strong candidate for mounting hydrogen fuel tanks under the wings, ensuring operators can maintain seat capacity or cargo space, while transitioning to true zero emission propulsion systems.

ZeroAvia will develop its ZA600 powertrain system for the Grand Caravan with data, engineering and certification support provided by Textron Aviation, and aims to obtain certification for the 600kW powertrain from 2025.

The Cessna Grand Caravan platform has seen more than 2,400 aircraft delivered worldwide since the aircraft was introduced. ZeroAvia has already announced several agreements with operators and lessors in relation to conversions of the Grand Caravan.

Val Miftakhov, CEO, ZeroAvia, said the Cessna Grand Caravan is on track to be one of the first airframes operating commercial services – both cargo and passenger – with hydrogen-electric, zero-emission engines, and looks forward to turning a “mainstay of sub-regional aviation into a symbol of sustainable transformation in aviation”.

This agreement with Textron Aviation adds to prior commitments from other aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and operators to ZeroAvia’s powertrain technology over the course of the last few months.

ZeroAvia is already well advanced in retrofitting its system into a 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft at its R&D location at Cotswold Airport in the UK, with first test flights anticipated over the next few weeks. The company is actively developing the market for its ZA600 product with different 9-19 seat airframes, while concurrently developing its ZA2000, 2-5MW engine class for 40-80 seat aircraft with an entry-into-service target of 2027.

The operator is focused on developing hydrogen-electric propulsion as a practical, holistic and economically attractive solution to aviation’s growing climate change impact. Its hydrogen-electric powertrains use fuel cells to generate electricity, which powers electric motors to then turn propellers. Hydrogen-electric systems produce only water vapor and at temperatures that enable the management of contrail impact.

ZeroAvia’s work in developing its 600kW system through to a certifiable design is part of the HyFlyer II project, supported by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and Innovate UK through the ATI Programme.

It is initially targeting a 300-mile range in 9–19 seat aircraft by 2025, and up to 700-mile range in 40–80 seat aircraft by 2027.

Aviation can capitalise on broader innovations in the hydrogen space, according to Arnab Chatterjee, Vice President of Infrastructure at ZeroAvia, who recently spoke at the H2 View India Snap Summit.