AIAA Scitech 2026, Clean Aviation Special Session: Future aircraft architecture, technology integration and novel certification

The HERA (Hybrid-Electric Regional Architecture) project, presented at AIAA SciTech 2026, is a Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking initiative aimed at developing next‑generation hybrid‑electric propulsion technologies for regional and short‑range aircraft, with the goal of significantly reducing fuel burn, greenhouse gas emissions, and overall environmental impact. Launched in January 2023 with 52 participating entities and coordinated by Leonardo, HERA targets a 30–50% fuel burn reduction compared to 2020 aircraft and up to 86–90% total emission reduction when combined with sustainable aviation fuels. The project focuses on creating viable propulsion architectures, achieving meaningful payload performance (60% Payload Index vs. 2020 state‑of‑the‑art), and preparing both in‑flight and ground demonstrations that will support future aircraft entering service around 2035.