Development of on-board power systems and the concept of a more electric aircraft

The article reviews the main stages of development of aircraft power systems. The basic features of the power node for the Mi-24 combat helicopter, a multi-tasking aircraft, are presented F-22 and the Boeing B-787 passenger airplane. The results of the analysis of methods for managing the distribution of electricity on both conventional aircraft and the most modern aircraft structures (A-380, B-787) are presented. The basic structures of the aircraft's on-board power network are presented, divided into three periods: the period until the 1960s (with the dominance of the direct current network with a voltage of 28.5 V), the period until 2000 (with the dominance of the three-phase alternating current network with a voltage of 3 x 115 V / 200 V, 400 Hz) and the most recent period, after 2000 (dominated by a 270 V direct current network, obtained by converting the voltage from a three-phase alternating current generator 3x 115 V / 200 V, 400 Hz using a transformer-rectifier block). The concept of a more electric aircraft was presented as the main direction of current construction works for MEA concept (More Electric Aircraft).