The company famous for inventing the auxiliary power unit (APU) for passenger airplanes has unveiled a similar product for the turboprop and light jet segment aimed at upending the way these aircraft deliver on-ground power. Honeywell’s Micro Power Units for business and private airplanes, helicopters, and advanced ground vehicles deliver many of the same benefits of APUs. These include major savings from reduced fuel burn, coupled with mobile power on the ground for critical aircraft systems such as air conditioning and avionics.
Honeywell’s Micro Power Unit, or mPU, gives aircraft owners and operators a new and smarter way to provide power autonomously in any ground environment. This drastically decreases fuel burn while increasing overall aircraft efficiency and hull value.
“By expanding our line of trusted and reliable solutions to include the mPU, Honeywell can better serve turboprop and light jet owners and operators looking to increase passenger comfort and reduce overall operating costs,” said Brian Sill, president, Engines and Power Systems, Honeywell Aerospace. “The mPU adds value to new and existing aircraft in a small, lightweight and quiet package.”
The mPU is compact enough to fit in aircraft that have space limitations while still providing enough power to operate air conditioning, charge batteries, conduct flight planning and assist main engine start without using additional power sources. When compared with using the main engines to power aircraft systems, the mPU can result in an 80 percent reduction in fuel burn while on the ground. The mPU also avoids the hassle of securing costly or simply unavailable ground power — particularly in remote locations.
The mPU adds value to aircraft by introducing a new, low-cost and mobile power source for ground operations. Thanks to its efficient design, it also removes the need to use the main engines to access basic aircraft functions. This can help unlock new routes to more remote areas where power is not readily available, greatly increasing an aircraft’s overall utility.
The mPU can also offer similar solutions to military ground vehicles. The fuel-efficient, lightweight power source allows armored vehicles to access power without running its main engines. The mPU offers a low-noise and low-emissions solution to provide power for electronics and cooling during silent watch and other critical missions.
