Hybrid powered military transport

Embraer presented to the Brazilian Air Force the first plans for its hybrid-electric military transport aircraft. Nothing is known about the concept called STOUT other than a leaked video for the time being, but later the type could even appear in civilian traffic. Back in December 2019, the Brazilian Embraer and the country’s army signed a letter of intent to develop a new light transport aircraft. A video of the concept was recently leaked, and the manufacturer admitted it was related to this project, but did not reveal more details.

The machine called STOUT (Short Take Off Utility Transport) can replace the aging Brazilian Armed Forces EMB-110 and EMB-120, aged C- 95A and C-97, with an average age of 26-38, leaving room for environmental efforts. . To do this, its two conventional engines receive extra generators that power the electrical resources at the ends of the wings. In the case of a hybrid engine, although the conventional engine cannot be completely replaced, a significantly lower power and fuel-efficient version may be enough for the same aircraft. Although the replacement of a total of 64 EMB-110s and -120s may suggest a large order, the difficulty in developing STOUT is the special expectations of the customer, because the new model is also designed to perform additional tasks. The hybrid aircraft should also be able to take off from a 1,200-meter, rammed runway, be able to carry up to 24 parachutes and jump from its deck, and drop pallets packed with munitions or smaller vehicles, but there would also be a VIP delivery version. of it.

Originally made for a military order, STOUT hopes the manufacturer will later play a role in civilian, commercial traffic as well. Thus, they could also offer civil operators a cheaper, sustainable, small-scale regional type in the foreseeable future, using existing and applicable technologies. The great advantage of a hybrid drive is that it is unnecessary to install a large and heavy battery pack in the aircraft, which increases the structural weight and reduces the amount of payload that can be transported, as well as the range.