ZHUKOVSKY /Moscow region/, July 20. /TASS/. The United Engine Corporation (UEC), part of the state corporation Rostec, for the first time ever, has presented a hybrid power unit for light helicopters and drones at the MAKS-2021 air show.

"The aircraft propellers are launched into rotation by electric motors, which can be powered either separately from a generator or a storage battery, or from their total energy. Hybridization makes it possible to effectively control energy flows and choose the most optimal modes of operation of its sources in comparison with traditional power units," the UEC press service told TASS on Tuesday.

The corporation’s first hybrid power unit, showcased at the air show, consists of a gas turbine engine, electric motors, a control system, and a battery. The takeoff power is 900 kW.

The Russian conglomerate noted that in the future, the hybrid power unit could be used on light multipurpose helicopters, drones and cycloplane-type aircraft.

The MAKS 2021 international air show is running from July 20 to 25 in the suburban town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow.