Government and industry pour resources into electric power

Aircraft power and thermal management continued to mimic the automotive industry's electrification trend. Early this year, the US Air Force wrapped up its INtegrated Vehicle ENergy Technology, or INVENT program, which began in 2011. INVENT laid the foundation for future military power and thermal management development programs by advancing new technologies sized for insertion into today's aircraft while testing these technologies in power and thermal systems targeting next-generation aircraft. INVENT also improved the aerospace industry's understanding of how to develop and apply model-based engineering tools to design and test. The Air Force is using these tools to apply hybrid-electric propulsion and power technologies to unmanned aircraft to increase range and endurance.