What was the first high-altitude flight with a hybrid-electric engine like? Aeronautical engine manufacturer GE Aerospace announced this Monday (20) that it completed the world's first high-altitude flight with hybrid-electric propulsion. The two-hour flight reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9 km) and was carried out using a modified version of the Saab 340 plane. The aircraft had already been undergoing tests since May, including a trip with stops over the Atlantic Ocean. GE Aerospace's research is being carried out in partnership with NASA, Boeing and electric aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies, at a time when manufacturers are designing propellant components that will equip successors to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320neo planes. Proponents of the idea say the combination of traditional and electric propulsion can be used to help aircraft reach higher altitudes more quickly and contribute to ambitious targets for reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Modified version of the Saab 340 aircraft made first high-altitude flight with hybrid-electric propulsion Disclosure/GE Aerospace Hybridization is one of the four main areas of research for the RISE engine concept that is being tested by engine manufacturer CFM, jointly owned by GE and France's Safran. This also includes a radical open fan design, although the company is working on a traditional closed alternative called AD-L or ADNB, according to a Reuters report. After years of artistic illustrations and computerized images, engine manufacturers are racing to demonstrate progress toward the fuel economy and durability required of the next generation of engines, expected at the end of the next decade. Rivals Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce are expected to provide updates on their own engine research later this week.