At the 60th annual Convention of the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) in Atlanta, Georgia, Microturbo announced the launch of its e-APU program, for a new Auxiliary Power Unit, specially designed and optimized to meet the specific needs of the business aircraft market.

The key features of this new generation of Auxiliary Power Units are a streamlined architecture with two axial turbine stages and a high pressure cycle based on proven technologies, ensuring remarkable reliability, availability and performance.

The e-APU delivers electrical power ranging from 15 to 90 kWe, making it a perfect match for the requirements of future business jets with their higher demand for electrical power. It also boasts an extended operating envelope of up to 51,000 feet in flight, with a maximum starting altitude at 41,000 feet.

From the environmental standpoint, the e-APU features extremely low pollution and noise emission levels, plus a remarkable acoustic signature of less than 70 dB.

"The e-APU range materializes the ongoing diversification strategy initiated by Microturbo. It benefits from research and technologies that have been validated for our entire range of civil and military programs, and it also draws on the experience of other companies in the SAFRAN group, particularly Turbomeca and Snecma," stated Jean-Louis Chenard, deputy general manager of Microturbo.

The e-APU is scheduled for its first run on the test bed at the end of 2008 and for certification in 2011.