08:33 AM EDT, 03/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- RTX's (RTX) Collins Aerospace said Monday that it has started testing the electric motor systems for the EU's Clean Aviation SWITCH project.

The tests, at Collins' "The Grid" lab in Rockford, Illinois, are a key step toward using hybrid-electric technology on a full-scale Pratt & Whitney GTF engine, the company said.

The project aims to make future short- and medium-range aircraft more fuel-efficient, it added. Collins built motors and controllers in the UK, power components in Germany, and wiring in the Netherlands. SWITCH involves Collins, Pratt & Whitney, Airbus, MTU Aero Engines, GKN Aerospace, and European research institutions, funded by the EU, according to the company.