Helix, a leading UK manufacturer of high-performance electric motors and inverters, has entered into a strategic partnership with California-based start-up Astro Mechanica. The collaboration focuses on integrating Helix’s SPX242-94 motors into Astro Mechanica’s Duality™ engine, an adaptive propulsion system designed to significantly improve fuel efficiency — a critical challenge for supersonic flight.
Astro Mechanica’s Duality™ engine is a pioneering hybrid-electric system. It separates the propulsion unit from the turboshaft core, utilising a turbogenerator that employs a gas turbine to produce electricity. This electricity powers the four Helix motors, which drive the fan and compressor. This configuration allows the engine to operate as a turbofan at subsonic speeds, a turbojet at lower supersonic speeds, and transition to a ramjet at high supersonic speeds, optimising performance across varied flight profiles up to Mach 3+.
The current fourth-generation engine prototype, powered by Helix’s SPX242-94 motors, is capable of delivering 400kW of peak power and 470Nm of torque. The motors maintain 300kW of continuous power and 286Nm of torque, all within a compact, power-dense package. Helix is developing custom motors for Astro Mechanica’s next-generation engines, projected to deliver 900kW of continuous power and 950kW peak power, operating up to 20,000rpm with a torque of 575Nm, designed for extreme-altitude operations.
Derek Jordanou-Bailey, Aerospace Chief Engineer at Helix, stated, “We are incredibly proud that our electric motors are powering Duality™ given its potential to reshape aviation and aerospace. For decades, Helix has worked at the very cutting-edge of electric powertrain technology and are now a critical enabler in electrification journey of many high-performance sectors. Astro Mechanica’s engine shows that our unrivalled power density stands to completely transform the engineering and economics of whole industries.”
The collaboration between Helix and Astro Mechanica is set to propel the development of supersonic aircraft with transpacific capabilities, anticipating a first flight within three years. Astro Mechanica aspires to make supersonic passenger travel as accessible and affordable as current commercial air travel within the next decade.
Helix, renowned for its roots in motorsport, extends its technology beyond Formula E and hypercars into sectors like aerospace, defence, and marine. The company’s innovations support vertical take-off and landing vehicles, space launch providers, and various defence platforms. This partnership underscores Helix’s expanding influence in the electrification of high-performance industries.
