**5. Conclusion and outlook**

The aeronautical community is about to revolutionize aircraft propulsion and aircraft design with the introduction of innovative electric drive approaches to the propulsion system. The full benefit of the hybrid and universally-electric aircraft can only be demonstrated by deploying a truly holistic approach to integrate hybrid-electric and universally-electric propulsion systems at aircraft level. Innovative approaches to electrically driven propulsion systems need to be further analyzed and thoughtfully integrated at aircraft level to determine the full potential. The search for synergistic integration of the propulsion system at aircraft level through tightly interlaced coupling with the airframe as well as with the other systems on-board the aircraft are expected to lead to dramatic shifts in contemporary aircraft design paradigms. Complementing the pure technical assessment of the implications of electric drives to transport aircraft, rigorous analyzes need to be expanded to measure the economical merits. The representation of metrics based on economics into the design charts would enable to select best and balance aircraft concept. Beyond the investigation at aircraft system, life cycle assessment needs to be conducted in order to measure the overall impact of electric drives to the complete chain. While for contemporary propulsion systems the conceptual design analysis of the engine can be done almost independently from the airframe, the synergistic analysis and integration of hybrid-electric or universally-electric propulsion system will result from the interdisciplinary work between the propulsion experts, the electrical systems specialists and the aircraft designer. New professional field of specialization such as electro-aero-propulsion experts could emerge from this multidisciplinarity. These interactions will influence not only the internal organization of aircraft conceptual teams but even beyond will redefine the industrial landscape of partnerships and cooperations due to the essential closer involvement of the suppliers in the early development phase of new aircraft product.
