Conscious Keeps Focus on Hydrogen-powered Dash 8 Aircraft
With the support of the Dutch government and several new industry partners, Conscious Aerospace has begun preliminary design for its CA2100 hydrogen-electric propulsion system. The 2-megawatt system’s anticipated route to market involves converting existing De Havilland Dash 8 Q300 twin turboprop aircraft for both regional airline and applications such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search-and-rescue missions.
According to company founder Michel van Ierland, computer modelling exercises conducted with De Havilland’s engineers have validated the projected performance of hydrogen-powered Dash 8s, with an anticipated range of up to 750 kilometers (408 nm) carrying 30 to 36 passengers. The Rotterdam-based start-up expects to have a ground test rig operating by the end of 2028, with flight testing on a Dash 8 to start in 2029 en route to service entry in 2030.
EASA has signed an innovation partnership contract with Conscious, laying the foundation to secure the supplemental type certificate it needs to integrate the CA2100 system with the Dash 8 aircraft. The powertrain will also need its own type certificate.
In June 2025, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management awarded a €73.3 million (about $87 million) grant to a consortium led by Conscious as part of the Luchtvaart in Transitie (Aviation in Transition) program. Van Ierland told AIN the new coalition government in the Netherlands has confirmed its commitment to aerospace decarbonization work. He views the current Dutch Coast Guard’s fleet of Dash 8 aircraft as potential earlier adopters of the conversion programs.
Among the key systems providers now committed as partners are Senior Aerospace, which is providing heat management technology and supporting another partner, Aeronamic, in developing the compressor. Other partners include the EH Group, which is supplying the fuel cells.
Engine Selection Pending
According to van Ierland, Conscious has not yet selected the electrical engine that will be integrated with the rest of the powertrain. It will also need a gearbox but has concluded that there is not yet a need to replace the Dash 8’s existing propellers, which were made by Hamilton Sundstrand—now part of RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace.
With De Havilland, Conscious has had discussions with existing Dash 8 Series 300 operators in countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands. Van Ierland pointed out that locations such as Rotterdam Airport, which is part of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport group, have already established hydrogen fuel infrastructure. At the same time, Conscious is exploring options for special missions platforms powered by the CA2100 drivetrain.
De Havilland has not announced plans for a follow-on development of the Dash 8 family, but last year reported plans to modernize its flight deck through a partnership with Universal Avionics. Conscious sees the switch to hydrogen propulsion as a way to prolong the life of the ubiquitous regional workhorse, without, as van Ierland put it, having to “create a new market.”
The Dutch government’s support and a Series A funding round now underway are expected to generate sufficient funds to get the ground test rig operational. Van Ierland indicated that some of its strategic partners have committed to supporting the program either directly or indirectly.
“We’re very focused on what we need to do, and we don’t allow any scope creep in the work,” he told AIN. “It is the application of the drivetrain [that] matters.”