Embraer has disclosed another iteration of its new turboprop concept. After a low wing version with wing-mounted engines, it now seems to favor a layout with rear-fuselage mounted engines. The latest version was shown during an online presentation on August 13 of Embraer’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, live from Brazil. Embraer's turboprop concept gets rear-mounted engines. The first animated picture of the turboprop, unofficially dubbed the ‘E3’, was casually posted on Twitter ‘for illustration only’ in October 2020. This was the low-wing concept with a T-tail, although it is believed Embraer has also looked at a high wing option. Since then, the design has been tweaked but has now evolved into an airplane not dissimilar to the CBA-123 Vector push rotor of the nineties or the ERJ140 regional jet series. The turboprop has a long fuselage, low, very thin, and ‘clean’ wings, still a bulgy belly fairing (center fuel tank and/or batteries ?), rear-mounted engines, and a T-tail. The first animation of the Embraer turboprop emerged in October 2020. Compare this with the main picture. (Embraer) In March 2021, Embraer released this animation of the turboprop. (Embraer) This is the version shown on August 13. (Embraer) Senior Vice President of Engineering, Technology Development, and Corporate Strategy, Luis Carlos Affonso, provided only limited details. It will be a 70-90 seater with a fuselage cross-section identical to the E-jets. These are all details that Embraer has shared before, although the airframer earlier mentioned seat capacity could go up to 100 seats. CEO Arjan Meijer said in June that the turboprop will be the platform of the future for Embraer. Affonso said the concept will evolve further, with more details to follow later this year. The preference for a T-tail with rear-mounted engines is an interesting one. It isn’t known what engines Embraer is thinking of, but looking at the latest animated picture, there is every chance that the engineering team is leaving all options open for the new RISE-engine concept that General Electric and Safran will be studying in the next few years. The engine makers have a preference for an open rotor of either the ‘pull’ concept, with the rotor at the front of the engine, or a ‘push’ version with the rotor at the back. The picture shown today by Embraer shows the pull concept. Luis Affonso said that the turboprop could have a 20-40 percent fuel consumption benefit over current generation turbofans. “With its innovative characteristics, it will be able to replace current 50-seater jets. Our proposal will be a jet-like turboprop”, he said. That makes it different from any other turboprop out there right now, which Affonso admitted are not popular with the flying public as they are seen to be noise, vibrate, and are crampy. But they are the engineers’ preferred choice as they are more fuel and propulsive efficient and produce fewer emissions. Turboprop instrumental in Embraer's environmental strategy The turboprop, which could be launched in 2022, is an instrumental part of Embraer’s new environmental strategy that was presented today. But not the only one. The Brazilian airframer has been looking at its carbon footprint and distinguishes two levels it wants to adjust. The co-called scope 1 and 2 targets are reductions in its own operations. Sixty percent of all of Embraer’s emissions are coming from the use of jet fuel for flight tests, production and ferry flights. The target is to have its operations carbon neutral by 2040 compared to 2018 and use at least 25 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). The company will start its carbon-neutral growth in 2022. The second target is the reduction of emissions from its products (aircraft) that are used by airline customers, the scope 3 solutions. Here is the target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Again, SAF’s will play a key role. Embraer has been using a blend of fifty percent SAF’s with traditional kerosene, which currently is the maximum allowed mix by international regulations. The industry is pushing to get this to 100 percent and this level has been successfully tested by Boeing, amongst others. Like its American rival, Embraer has set the goal of making its aircraft compatible with 100 percent SAF’s by 2030. The Embraer Ipanema electric demonstrator made its first flight earlier this week. (Embraer) Then there are electric and hydrogen. Both energy sources are on Embraer’s radar. In fact, it reached a milestone earlier in the week, when an Ipanema single-seater using battery power made a successful first demonstration flight from it Gaviao Peixoto site. Luis Affonso said the OEM is investing in R&D of hybrid-electric aircraft as the technology is suited for the small and medium-range aircraft that have formed a large part of its portfolio. “This testbed will help develop knowledge about batteries, thermal management, electric control systems high-voltage handling, and safety of flight. That will then be applied to our future products.” This also includes the Urban Air Mobility eVTOL platform EVE, which should be available in 2026. But also the hybrid-electric short take-off utility aircraft or STOUT for short that is being developed for the Brazilian Air Force and could also have civilian applications. SVP Engineering, Luis Carlos Affonso, shows an animation of the STOUT short take-off utility aircraft. (Embraer) On hydrogen, Affonso said it offering ‘great potential’. Here too, Embraer is dedicating time and resources to further study the technology as well the economical and supply chain issues that come with the super-cold liquid. But the Brazilians aren’t putting all eggs in the hydrogen basket as Airbus seems to be doing with its ZEROe project. But the roadmaps in Toulouse and Sao Jose dos Campos seem to have some similarities. Just like Airbus is targeting the first hydrogen demonstrator to be available around 2024-2025, Affonso said that Embraer’s roadmap includes the first test flight of a hydrogen vehicle in 2025. Not one single technology will stand out There is not a single disruptive technology that will dominate the future of aviation, thinks Luis Affonso: “I believe the solution will be a combination of all these technologies that are emerging. There will not be one single technology, one single solution or company that will solve but it will be a concerted effort from many stakeholders and technologies. Electric-hybrid may be for smaller and medium-haul airplanes. As you go up the ladder, SAF’s and hydrogen will emerge.” “But if I had to single out one of these technologies, I would mention SAF. Because this is the only one that is dropping, meaning that once we have the ability to have 100 percent SAF’s on the airplanes and when we have the right scale of production and the right price, the entire fleet will be able to operate using SAF’s. This will have the quickest result. But of course, the challenge will be availability, logistics, and price.”
