Safran has made an undisclosed investment in Turbotech through its subsidiary Safran Corporate Ventures.

Turbotech is a light aircraft turbine engine and hybrid propulsion startup company.

The investment is part of a €3m funding round, which saw the participation of technology seed fund GO CAPITAL Amorçage II. It will allow Safran Corporate Ventures and GO CAPITAL to own a stake in Turbotech.

Safran Corporate Ventures’ Nicolas Franck and GO CAPITAL’s Jérôme Guéret will join Turbotech’s strategy committee as part of the new investment.

“Safran has signed a technology partnership agreement to facilitate the use of Turbotech’s technology in some of its future products and provide technical support to the company.”

Furthermore, the round will allow Turbotech to finalise the development of its products and launch them in the market starting next year.

The engines are based on regenerative cycle turbines, which are designed to use a heat exchanger to recover the energy contained in a turbine’s exhaust gases, significantly reducing its fuel consumption.

Turbotech turbine engines feature the company’s patented heat exchanger technology.

The high-performance hybrid propulsion system can be used in the general aviation, heavy drone and on-demand air mobility sectors. The electric version of the system is capable of providing several hours of endurance to hybrid propulsion aircraft.

In addition, Safran has signed a technology partnership agreement to facilitate the use of Turbotech’s technology in some of its future products and provide technical support to the company.

The five-year-long contract is part of Safran’s proactive roadmap for hybrid propulsion solutions.

Turbotech currently has facilities in Brittany and Paris in France.

Safran employs a workforce of more than 58,000 across the globe, serving the aircraft propulsion and equipment, space, and defence markets.