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Electro.Aero, a company that develops high-voltage electric aircraft chargers, recently announced the arrival of their brand new charging station, the RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200. The new charger aims to set the stage for the aerial mobility charging industry. This new product is expected to be available for 2023 delivery. 

The mission of Electra.aero is to help in reducing the environmental impact of air transportation by providing high-end chargers exclusively designed for electric aircraft, including both fixed wing and eVTOL. Their newest product, the RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200 will provide 200kW per unit of AC electric charging. The new charger can convert between AS6968, CCS2 and NACS charging standards, and features a cable spool design that will allow it to be easily moved by single person to any point on the runway.

Additionally, Electro.aero also announced that it’s making a shipping container-sized battery system, called the AEROCHARGE. This system will allow even grids without high-voltage outputs to charge electric aircraft at rates up to 400kwH, using two RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200 combined. This means, for example, that even areas with only solar or low-voltage grids will still be able to fast-charge electric aircraft at vertiports. 

Already, Electro.aero is offering delivery deals on these charging systems. The company envisions many of its initial customers to be eVTOL protypers, and light fixed-wing aircraft users like Ampaire, Pipistrel, or Electra.aero eSTOLs.

Why It’s Important: Electro.aero is one of the only companies in the world specifically dedicated to providing electric aircraft charging products. By being first to market, Electro hopes to establish itself as a global leader in this industry. The new RAP!D Aircraft Charger 200 will allow for quick recharging, and can be installed almost anywhere, giving it the potential to significantly increase access to charging stations as eVTOL and electric fixed-wing aircraft become more prevalent across the world. By being first to market, Electro.aero can lay the groundwork and create a model for more electric charging station developers in the future.

Source // Electro.aero Press Release

Related:

• Eviation Announces Order From Aerus For 30 Alice All-Electric Commuter Aircraft
• Pipistrel’s Velis Electro Set to Break 7 World Records During Flight
• U.S Air Force Partners with Electra.aero eSTOLs for Funding Increase up to $85M

Skyports Drone Services and electric autonomous aircraft manufacturer Pyka have agreed on a partnership for heavy payload drone logistics. The collaboration plans to leverage Skyports Drone Services’ extensive operational experience as well as Pyka’s heavy payload aircraft to provide heavy drone delivery services.

The partnership specifically involves Skyports Drone Services and the recently unveiled Pyka Pelican Cargo uncrewed aerial system (UAS). The large autonomous electric aircraft’s 175+ kg payload capacity and 1.85 cubic meters cargo volume significantly increases Skyports Drone Services’ payload capabilities and complements the existing lineup of UAS solutions currently utilized by the UK drone operator. Pyka’s Pelican Cargo will be deployed for a range of use cases and operations, including services for humanitarian aid, logistics and delivery companies, as well as healthcare and medical organizations.

A full flight program with Pelican Cargo will begin in early Q2 in Cornwall, UK, and will include flights for the Future Flight Challenge phase three Open Skies Cornwall project, one of four UK Research & Innovation funded projects won by Skyports Drone Services in July 2022.

The introduction of Pyka’s Pelican Cargo aircraft into the Skyports Drone Services fleet supports the company’s ambitions of implementing drone operations at scale. The substantial uplift in capacity strengthens the UK drone operator’s proposition and market position.

Alex Brown, Director, Skyports Drone Services, said: “Having a fully electric, autonomous, heavy lift cargo drone in our fleet is a real gamechanger. To date, we’ve been focused on operations with smaller, high value payloads; the introduction of the Pelican Cargo brings new capabilities and means we can now fly significant volumes of cargo long distances, connecting communities in remote areas and providing a regular, robust form of transport in and out of hard-to-reach areas. Importantly, we’re doing this now – this isn’t future gazing, it’s a ready-to-go service.”

Why it’s important: Skyports’ partnership with Pyka will facilitate additional operational experience of heavy lift drones, which will carry payloads similar to that of smaller eVTOL aircraft. Additionally, since Pyka’s heavy lift drone technology is ready for usage, Skyports and Pyka will gain valuable insights into fine tuning their operation and future scaling efforts to make a more compelling business case for this type of service to be rolled out in other areas across the globe.

Bay-area startup, MightyFly, has announced a next generation of its eVTOL prototype. The prototype dubbed, Cento, builds upon the firms previous model and is capable of carrying a 100 pound payload up to a range of 600 miles at speeds of 150 mph. Cento uses a hybrid powertrain and is able to achieve its 600-mile range without any charging.

This announcement comes less than two years after receiving $5.1M USD in seed funding and 9 months after first flight of its original eVTOL prototype. Cento features eight electrical vertical lift fans and one forward propulsion propeller. The cargo bay is 6 feet long and can carry 96 small USPS packages.

MightyFly intends to operate and maintain a fleet of Cento eVTOL cargo drones and will manage the end-to-end process of express shipping services.

“The traditional hub-and-spoke distribution model can still serve businesses that have centralized warehousing and shipping systems in place and that have experienced few logistics issues,” said Manal Habib, MightyFly CEO and co-founder. “But if there is one lesson we’ve learned from supply chain bottlenecks and logistics over the past few years, it’s that we need flexibility – to be able to adapt to various cargo volumes and expedited timing or urgencies. Medical companies, just-in-time manufacturing, and the 51% of all retailers that now provide same-day delivery need a faster and more affordable way to get their goods and perishables to the final destination.”

MightlyFly has also secured a Special Airworthiness Certificate for Cento in order to conduct long-range test flights. This will enable the company to continue development and testing of Cento ahead of certification and commercialization.

While Cento was just announced and the team began flight testing of the prototype last month, MightyFly states they are already working on a larger variant capable of carrying a 500 pound payload.

Why it matters: MightyFly has only been in the eVTOL space since 2019 but has made significant progress in its short history with relatively little funding. The development of the Cento prototype and potentially larger variants could make the company one of the first commercialized drone delivery providers if they can complete their flight test campaign and certification.

Electra.aero, a company developing an ultra short takeoff and landing aircraft, has been selected by the U.S Air Force for a Strategic Fund Increase program. This program will allow Electra.aero to partner with the U.S Air Force to raise up to $85 million through private investments, government funding, and matching Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding.

Electra.aero’s all-electric aircraft design will be able to take-off and land in ‘soccer-field’ sized spaces. According to the company, this will give the aircraft helicopter-like versatility, allowing runways to be used in far more locations.

The funding raised by the new program will go towards developing a full-scale pre-production prototype of Electra’s eSTOL aircraft. Through the program, the Air Force will both help Electra connect with additional funding, and will provide testing, evaluation, and preliminary certification of prototypes. Ultimately, the goal of the program will to utilize the Air Force’s resources to bring this aircraft to commercialization.

Electra.aero envisions the aircraft being utilized in regional air mobility, cargo logistics, executive transport, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and more. Already, Electra has received over 1,000 eSTOL aircraft orders from commercial customers around the globe.

 John S. Langford, Founder and CEO of Electra, “This STRATFI award reinforces the Air Force’s commitment to dual-use eSTOL technology as a solution for national security and other government missions, and validates Electra’s aircraft design and engineering work to date. The cost and risk advantages of eSTOL technology also make it a smart investment. We are honored to be chosen for this significant award and look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the Agility Prime team.”

Said Lieutenant Colonel John, leader of the Agility Prime Initiative at the Air Force, “It’s vital that we ensure new advanced air mobility technologies with dual-use applications are developed and manufactured here at home in the U.S. Electra’s eSTOL technology has the potential to deliver valuable logistics and mobility capabilities to the Air Force. We value our partnership with Electra and look forward to supporting their continued development and future transition.”

Why it’s Important: eSTOL (short take-off and landing aircraft) has the potential to revolutionize regional transportation. These aircraft can make air travel far more accessible for many communities by using runways at locations that were previously impossible. Additionally, by being electric, these aircraft can provide regional air transport for far less operational cost than existing airplanes. These factors combined create enormous potential for logistics businesses and travelers to use these aircraft for medium-distance transportation.

Blade Air Mobility and RedBird Capital Partners announced last week that RedBird has increased its ownership in Blade to more than 5%. Further, the announcement comes as RedBird also announces that partner Andrew Lauck will become a board observer.

RedBird’s has been invested in Blade since 2016, and collectively the RedBird and Blade teams have closely collaborated during the development and growth process of each firm.

Blade’s core operations – last mile air mobility, jet charter, and organ transplant flights – overlap with RedBird’s existing aviation portfolio, and both companies expect to be leading supporters of aviation’s eventual transition towards Electric Vertical Aircraft technology.

RedBird and Blade also plan to work together across RedBird’s portfolio to accelerate Blade’s growth objectives. RedBird’s global sports and media properties provide a natural complement to Blade’s urban air mobility solutions; the partnership could lead to establishment of an organized transportation network similar to Qatar Airway’s increased schedule frequency during the World Cup transporting fans to sporting venues en masse.

“Gerry has developed some of the most exciting platforms in aviation, sports and entertainment and the strengthening of our partnership with RedBird will allow us to supercharge our offerings to Blade fliers in the U.S and Europe,” said Rob Wiesenthal, Blade’s CEO. “The partnership will also allow us to build our fast-growing organ transplant flight business and source acquisitions that can benefit from our global brand, infrastructure and tech platform – ultimately accelerating our timeline to achieving profitability while enhancing our growth trajectory.”

“Blade is an integral part of our broader aviation investment strategy which looks to benefit from current aviation market growth as well as future disruption from the transition of helicopters to Electric Vertical Aircraft,” said Gerry Cardinale, RedBird Founder and Managing Partner.

Why it’s important: The increased investment in BLADE Aerial Mobility by Redbird allows the companies to collaborate and leverage one another’s expertise, while setting the stage for future use cases for aerial mobility aircraft and further strengthening BLADE’s balance sheet. The long time collaboration by CEOs of each company should also help the integration period as Lauck observes Board proceedings and likely holds discussions on preference for future company plans.

Marubeni, a Japanese industrial development company, has signed a deal to purchase 25 eVTOL aircraft from Vertical Aerospace, with options to purchase 200 in total.

Marubeni has ambitious plans to develop Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) networks throughout Japan, and other areas in Asia. Already, the company has conducted a proof-of-conceptions operation in Osaka, Japan, using traditional helicopters. It also has begun making pre-delivery payments on eVTOL aircraft from Vertical.

The two companies have formed a joint working group to plan how eVTOL aircraft and infrastructure can best be integrated into Japan’s existing transportation network.

In particular, Marubeni hopes to launch Aerial Mobility services using Vertical’s eVTOL at the Osaka World Expo 2025. To prepare for the event, the company conducted trials of flights from Osaka heliport to Wakayama using existing helicopters at future expected AAM service prices, to prove the concept for these future services.

Throughout the demonstration trials in Osaka, Marubeni began addressing public awareness, acceptance, and requirements for future eVTOL services in the prefecture.

Satoshi Takechi, general manager, Aviation, Space & Defense Department at Marubeni, said: “I am confident that our continued joint efforts with Vertical Aerospace, such as evaluating the requirements for eVTOL operations and engaging the potential partners under the Joint Working Group, together with this new agreement, will accelerate the development of the AAM market in Japan. Marubeni will further enhance activities to materialise our business, which aims to make air travel more accessible and convenient, while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation measures, including low-carbon and decarbonisation initiatives.”

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical founder and CEO, said: “We are delighted to have reached the next milestone in our partnership with Marubeni. Japan is a wonderful country which is embracing the promise of eVTOL, as it will connect cities and regions like never before. We look forward to our joint efforts to build the ecosystem for zero-emissions travel in Japan.”

Why it’s important: The interest and collaboration of Marubeni with Vertical Aerospace further confirms Japan as high-potential launch market for eVTOL operations and overall aerial mobility. Notably, this agreement has made Marubeni the first Japanese company to make a major pre-purchase for eVTOL aircraft from Vertical Aerospace, joining American companies like American Airlines.

Source // Vertical Aerospace

Related:

• EHang 216 Completes Trial Flights Spanning Four Japanese Cities Over One Week
• ANA Holdings and Joby Partner to Bring Air Taxi Service to Japan
• American Airlines Solidifies Delivery Slots for Vertical Aerospace eVTOL Aircraft
• Japanese eVTOL developer SkyDrive Receives Order for up to 100 eVTOLs from Pacific Group

In a large step forward towards zero-emission aviation, ZeroAvia has accomplished the first flight of its hydrogen-electric Dornier 228 testbed. The flight occured on January 19, 2023 at Cotswold Airport (approx. 2 hours west of London).

ZeroAvia successfully carries out the first flight test of its Dornier 228 19-seat testbed in Gloucestershire, UK, marking a pivotal milestone in ZeroAvia’s HyFlyer II program.

The retrofit Dornier 228 had its left turboprop engine equipped with ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain and flew for approximately 10 minutes before returning to land. The company’s ZA600 propulsion system includes a 600kW array of batteries and uses several gaseous canisters staged in the fuselage. To date, the 10 minute flight holds the record for the largest and heaviest aircraft platform to fly on hydrogen-electric hybrid power.

All systems performed as expected. This is the largest ZeroAvia engine tested to date, and places the company on a direct path to a certifiable configuration to be finalized and submitted for certification in 2023. This program also serves as key to unlocking speedy technology development for larger aircraft. ZeroAvia’s 2-5 MW powertrain program, already underway, will scale the clean engine technology for up to 90-seat aircraft, with further expansion into narrowbody aircraft demonstrators over the next decade.

Celebrating this remarkable progress, Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO of ZeroAvia said: “This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away. The first flight of our 19-seat aircraft shows just how scalable our technology is and highlights the rapid progress of zero-emission propulsion. This is only the beginning – we are building the future of sustainable, zero climate impact aviation. Our approach is the best solution to accelerate clean aviation at scale. Congratulations to everyone on our team and all of our partners and stakeholders for the collective effort that brought us to this monumental day in history.” 

Why it matters: The flight of the ZA600 powertrain is ZeroAvia’s largest to date. As further development and flight tests are conducted, it’s likely that larger powertrains become ready for flight. Doing so will unlock hydrogen-powered regional transportation for turboprop aircraft without any environmental emissions, and pave the way to the future of flight.

Source: ZeroAvia Press Release

Horizon Aircraft just released the footage of its 50% scale prototype hybrid-electric eVTOL aircraft completing initial hover testing. The Cavorite X5 is claimed to feature greater range and payload capabilities via the hybrid-electric powerplant and an in-flight battery array recharging feature.

Horizon presented the initial photos of its 50% Scale prototype of Cavorite X5 eVTOL in August of 2022, and by December had accomplished the first hover test. The company has just released footage of the event as seen above.

According to Brandon Robinson, CEO of Horizon: “This aircraft has exceeded expectations during initial hover testing. It is extremely stable, is capable of full hover at only 65% power, and has hovered with 20% of its fans purposely disabled in order to test system redundancy. This is a large-scale aircraft, with a 22-foot wingspan, over 15 feet in length, and capable of speeds over 175 mph. It continues to yield valuable data that is constantly improving our full-scale design.”

The company has a dedicated flight testing location at the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel located near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Within the first quarter of 2023, Horizon expects to achieve transition flight with its scale prototype aircraft. The prototype utilizes the same ‘lift and cruise’ design as will the full-scale iteration, meaning that its in-wing rotors lift the aircraft vertically before being propelled forward for cruise by a larger rear-facing propellor. 

Why it’s important: Following the the Canadian startup’s return to an independent path, after having separated itself through a stock buy-back from Astro Aerospace, Horizon seems to have made substantial progress on its vehicle development. The company’s funding, partly in the form of a Phase 1 contract from the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX unit, has evidently enabled Horizon to expedite flight testing and make notable progress.

The market for eVTOL leasing is gaining traction as this week, Lobo has signed a letter of intent to lease 5 unmanned Pipistrel eVTOLs to Air Taurus, Ltd.

Air Taurus Limited is an eVTOL operator headquartered in Ireland and a group affiliate of AYR Logistics, a UK-based logistics and aviation services company. Lobo manages aviation investments across the world in both the existing helicopter market as well as the fast-developing eVTOL and advanced air mobility sectors. The two will work together to help

Air Taurus will lease Pipistrel’s Nuuva V300 unmanned eVTOL which is capable of a cruise speed of approximately 120 knots with a cargo capacity of up to 300kg and a maximum range of 300km with reserves. This will enable the company to deliver critical supplies and food to underserved and difficult to reach areas.

Gustavo Semeraro, Senior Vice President, Business Development at Lobo Leasing, said: “We are proud to continue at the forefront of this fast-developing market by bringing a pioneering partnership to develop a financial solution to support AYR’s crucial humanitarian work. AYR is a respected and experienced operator, and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with them on finalising this letter of intent. The V300 has the potential to transform the humanitarian aviation sector by bringing an entirely new approach to the delivery of long-standing operational requirements”.

Stephen Lyons, Chief Development Officer at AYR, said: “This marks an important step forward in our plans to introduce unmanned aircraft to the humanitarian sector. We are grateful to Lobo Leasing for their support and the shared vision we have for the humanitarian application of unmanned aircraft.”

The LOI is aligned with the Nuuva V300 development program and targets delivery of the first units to Air Taurus between 2025 and 2026.

Why it matters: Many commercial airliners and business jets are leased to customers rather than bought outright. With lessors entering the aerial mobility space, operators will be able to access eVTOL platforms to advance their businesses with lower direct entry costs. Expect to see similar lessors entering the space as eVTOL makers near commercialization of their production models.

Elroy Air, a company developing an end-to-end autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial cargo system, has signed an agreement with LCI, a leading aviation company and a subsidiary of Libra Group, for commitments to purchase up to 40 of Elroy’s Chaparral vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Deposits have been paid for the first 20 vehicles.

With this agreement, Elroy has now secured more than $2 billion in aircraft purchase demand for upwards of 900 Chaparral systems in the commercial, defense and humanitarian sectors.

“We’re experiencing an enthusiastic response to the Chaparral and its capabilities to serve as a key part of a safe, efficient, and capable fleet of aircraft to respond in emergency situations, keep pilots out of harm’s way, and enable rapid logistics in a new and sustainable way,” said David Merrill, CEO and Co-Founder of Elroy Air. “Through our agreement with LCI, the Chaparral will be available for financing — enabling much broader access to the aircraft. We are proud that the Chaparral will now be part of LCI’s aviation fleet and look forward to providing aerial cargo transport globally.”

The Chaparral is an autonomous VTOL cargo delivery system designed for aerial transport of up 500 lbs (225 kgs) of goods over a 300 nautical mile range, enabled initially by a turbine-based hybrid-electric powertrain with distributed electric propulsion, and specially designed aerodynamic modular cargo pods.

“Applications for the Chaparral include aerial cargo transport for disaster relief, firefighting and humanitarian operations without risk to pilots or the need for airport infrastructure,” said VP of Business Development & Strategy Kofi Asante. “What’s particularly exciting about our agreement with LCI is that it unlocks financing for the Chaparral for humanitarian use and enables us to share the Chaparral’s capabilities worldwide.”

Rendering of the Elroy Chapparal in flight with LCI branding

Why it’s important: As stated by Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI: “This commitment for the pioneering Chaparral system will enable us to efficiently support mission critical, remote logistical work and socially responsible humanitarian work around the world. It will do so in complement with the wide-ranging capabilities of our existing aviation fleet.” This announcement comes alongside Elroy Air’s recent move to Byron Airport in Northern California. The company is using the new facility to support full-scale ground and flight testing of its Chaparral C1 vehicles to validate safety of flight through a series of ground tests, which will be key to delivering the system to its customers expeditiously.

Source // Elroy Air press release

Related:

• Elroy Air Partners with Bristow Group for Cargo eVTOL Aircraft Purchase
• FedEx to Test Autonomous Drone Cargo Delivery with Elroy Air
  Elroy Air Receives Additional Funding From U.S Air Force

BlueFlite, a Michigan company developing high-performance and high-versatility cargo drone, has partnered with Acadian, one of the largest Ambulance companies in the United States. Through the partnership, Acadian plans to develop a first-of-its-kind drone-based emergency response solution for lifesaving medical deliveries in the USA.

According to a recent press release from the two companies, the partnership will aim to deliver life-saving medical equipment and medications to certain areas much faster than could ever be achieved with ground-based vehicles. Specific applications may for example include epinephrine, or medications to open patient’s airways.

The partnership will combine Blueflite’s aerial logistics technology for its aircraft with Acadian’s knowledge and procedures for how to reach patients as quickly and effectively as possible. R&D support will also come from Lafayette-based survey and engineering firm, Fenstermaker. The ultimate goal of the service will be to save lives, and to reduce the impact and severity of injuries by delivering medicine and supplies as quickly as possible.

“Using drones to deliver critical medical equipment will shorten emergency response times considerably. And when every second counts, that can save lives and reduce cost in healthcare,” said Frank Noppel, Blueflite’s CEO. “We are very excited to have been selected by Acadian and very much look forward to co-developing this platform, which will greatly benefit the lives of many.”

“We selected the Blueflite platform for its advanced technology and capability to deliver lifesaving medical supplies safely and efficiently to those in need. This is the next step in the future of medical response, and we are excited to further development in conjunction with Blueflite and Fenstermaker,” said Benjamin Swig, Director of Healthcare Innovation and Strategy at Acadian Ambulance.

Small-scale prototype of BlueFlite’s vehicle at a test site

Why it’s important: This partnership provides BlueFlite and Acadian with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how well aerial logistics technologies can provide life-saving equipment in emergency situations. Combining BlueFlite’s technology with Acadian’s long-standing expertise in emergency response will give BlueFlite, and the aerial mobility industry as a whole, an excellent chance to prove one its key value propositions. The partnership will boost credibility for BlueFlite, adn ideally, for the aerial mobility altogether.

Source // BlueFlite / Acadian Press Release

Related:

• Blueflite Patents eVTOL System (December 2022)
• Blueflite Receives Testing Grant from Michigan Economic Development Corporation (August 2022)
• Sentient Blue and blueflite collaborate on microturbine powered UAS platform (October 2021)

NASA employees conducted a full scale crash test of an eVTOL late last year at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. The eVTOL was developed by RVLT (Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology) as part of advancing NASA’s Advanced Aerial Mobility Initiative.

The full size mockup was hoisted into the air then released and swung forward, followed by impact with the ground. The mockup was fully instrumented to measure parameters during the test, including video and data channels. The test was a chance for the NASA team to validate their crash models and gain fidelity on the behavior of a composite eVTOL hull in crash scenarios as well as refine their model to better characterize how the roof and overhead structure of the hull behaves after it has failed. The model accurately characterized composite behaviors up to structure failure, NASA’s initial report stated.

These tests support NASA’s mission to assist AAM efforts safety and develop air transportation infrastructure that moves people and cargo between new locations. NASA’s considerable resources for aviation and aerospace research are being used to further that effort.

Why it’s important: NASA’s crash test allows structural model refinements that will be incorporated to future eVTOL models that will make aerial mobility aircraft safer. Further, these tests will help existing OEM’s tweak their designs to maximize safety while using careful allocations of weight in structure to return the highest strength per unit of weight. NASA’s continued investment in AAM is also an example of taxpayer and governmental investment in the future of aerial mobility technologies, indicating the degree of interest and seriousness with which the growing future mobility industry is being treated with.

Read the initial report from NASA here.