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Black & Veatch – a leader in sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy and transportation electrification – and Ampaire announced on Monday that they’ll collaborate on developing airport electrification that supports the electric aircraft requirements of the future.

The partnership between Black & Veatch and Ampaire was disclosed via press release Monday, and is quoted to “work to identify and evaluate opportunities to plan, engineer and construct infrastructure for electric air mobility at airports, working with early adopters in the Americas, Europe and Asia”.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding that will focus globally on creating reliable, clean-energy-powered charging and sustainable aviation fueling supply at a growing number of airports. The MoU also includes provisions for leveraging solar, energy storage and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply chain development. The initiative seeks to include a broad range of air and ground side stakeholders who will benefit from shared infrastructure and Black & Veatch’s deep knowledge of power and communications infrastructure applied to this innovative industry sector. 

“Governments, companies and communities around the world are making lowering their carbon footprints a priority, and the transportation sector is helping accelerate positive change,” added Paul Stith, Black & Veatch’s associate vice president of global transportation initiatives. “Decarbonization of aviation is challenging and requires technology and collaboration. Tackling emissions with concurrent SAF and electrification strategies offers a shining example of what’s possible in doing things cleaner and greener, and we’re excited about working with Ampaire to reshape tomorrow’s air mobility through infrastructure and innovation.” 

Ampaire has helped to lead the charge of electrified regional aircraft, among other companies such as Eviation and VoltAero. Ampaire’s modified Cessna 337 Skymaster completed a 481 miles nonstop flight from Perth, Scotland, to Exeter in southwest England in August 2021 with its “Electric EEL” aircraft. The aircraft was modified with hybrid-electric propulsion, and is cited by Ampaire as longest flight by a commercial-sized, hybrid-electric aircraft to date.

The promise of electrified air mobility continues to grow, given the environmental benefits, their reduced fuel requirements and maintenance costs, and the sector’s lesser reliance on traditional fuels prone to price and supply fluctuations. While electrification carries vast potential in unleashing a new mobility market, expanding the industry rests significantly on deploying more charging and servicing infrastructure.

Why it’s important: The partnership between Ampaire and Black & Veatch will allow for quicker progress toward a network of charging and charging support installations that give operators of electric regional and short haul aircraft the access required to efficiently turn airplanes to support multiple flights per day. These sorts of infrastructure projects would then be able to support longer journeys as well, such as BETA Technology’s recent flight of their ALIA aircraft that spanned over 1,400 miles in 7 days. With more advanced charging infrastructure, or modular, replaceable batteries, these types of journeys could be significantly shortened in duration as down time on the ground is significantly reduced.

After being acquired by regional mobility company Surf Air, and completing several tests of its aircraft in Hawaii and California, Hybrid-Electric aircraft developer Ampaire will now begin flight demonstrations in the U.K.

The upcoming flights in the U.K are part of the new Towards Zero Emissions in Regional Aircraft Operations (2ZERO) program in the country, which has received a £2.4 million ($3.3 million) grant as part of the £30 million funding from the British government for its Future Flight Challenge. Initially, Ampaire will demonstrate its six-seat Electric EEL aircraft (a converted Cessna 337 SkyMaster), and later it will add the 19-seat Eco Otter SX, which is based on the Twin Otter.

Ampaire’s electric aircraft in flight over Hawaii

The 2ZERO consortium also includes several UK-based organizations, including Rolls-Royce Electrical, the University of Nottingham, regional airline Loganair, Exeter and Devon Airports, Cornwall Airport, the Southwest Local Enterprise Partnership, and UK Power Network Services. The goal of the collaboration is to evaluate how new hybrid-electric aircraft can be integrated with existing airport and airline operations, with flight testing at Exeter and Newquay airports in the southwest of England. Some of the partners will also be contributing financially to the program.

Ampaire has already tested the Electric EEL aircraft in Hawaii with local regional carrier Mokulele Airlines. In February, Surf Air Mobility acquired the start-up in a deal worth over $100 million.

Why it’s important: With its latest electric EEL aircraft, Ampaire is breaking records and leading the industry for sustained electric regional flight. Although Ampaire is not currently developing VTOL aircraft, its battery technology both proves out and pushes forward battery technology for electric flight, which will enable this technology for aerial mobility of all kinds, including eVTOL.

Surf Air Mobility, a new developmental department of regional air mobility provider Surf Air, has now acquired aviation hybrid-electric power train developer Ampaire shortly after the company set a record for the longest route to date with an electric aircraft. With this acquisition, Surf Air Mobility, formed in 2020, looks to improve “affordability, accessibility, and environmental footprint of regional travel”.

Surf Air Mobility was recently formed after Surf Air, a short-haul flight service provider, acquired Blackbird, an aviation marketplace that provides passengers the option of chartering private flights. Soon after being formed, Surf Air Mobility acquired a $200 million USD investment from Global Emerging Markets Group in order to go public. Now, Surf Air Mobility looks to provide an (eventually electric) alternative to driving or flying on commercial airlines for trips of 50-500 miles.

According to Surf Air Mobility co-founder and CEO Sudhin Shahani, “We see the near-term opportunity to transform existing turboprop aircraft across the entire industry as the first step to ultimately extend to fully electric aviation across all trip lengths.”

The Ampaire Electric EEL prototype, capable of flying up over 300 statute miles

Before the acquisition, Ampaire was working on developing hybrid-electric power trains for 9-19 seat piston and turboprop aircraft, currently possessing two propulsion testbeds from a modified Cessna 337 Skymaster. Additionally, Ampaire is now developing a megawatt-class, hybrid-electric propulsion conversion for the 19-seat twin-turboprop de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.

According to Ampaire co-founder and CEO Kevin Noertker, “The same building blocks of the electrified power train from the Twin Otter can be applied to other turboprops in the Part 23 category, for example the Cessna Caravan. We’ll continue working on both.”
With the reduced direct operating costs of hybrid-electric aircraft, Surf Air Mobility will be “able to create a new kind of point-to-point network that opens up previously untenable markets with more direct connections,” says President Fred Reid. “With half of all U.S. flights 500 mi. or less, hybrid-electric technology will have an immediate and broad-reaching impact.”

Why it’s important: Surf Air Mobility’s acquisition of Ampaire will align Ampaire closer with aircraft operators to streamline development and deployment of their electric aircraft. According to the company, it will also enable Ampaire to address a wider range of aircraft for upgrade.
Source // Aviation Week Network

Ampaire is a Los Angeles-based company whose mission is to be the world’s most trusted developer of practical and compelling electric aircraft. To start, the company is retrofitting existing passenger aircraft to electric power – the quickest and most capital efficient approach to making commercial electric air travel a reality. Ampaire flew the largest hybrid electric aircraft at the time in May 2019, and they have recently accomplished the longest flight to date for any commercially relevant aircraft employing electric propulsion, in this case a hybrid-electric propulsion system.

Ampaire’s Electric EEL, a six-seat Cessna 337 twin-engine aircraft modified with an electric motor in the nose and traditional combustion engine in the rear, took off from Camarillo Airport just north of Los Angeles at 12:20 PM. Test pilot Justin Gillen and Flight Test Engineer Russell Newman, flew up California’s Central Valley at 8,500 feet, landing at Hayward Executive Airport at 02:52 PM. Straight line distance was 292 statute miles, and the route as flown 341 statute miles.

Speed during the cruise portion of the 2 hour, 32-minute flight averaged around 135 mph. “The mission was a quite normal cross-country flight that we could imagine electrified aircraft making every day just a few years from now,” Gillen said.

This milestone in electric aviation took place after four weeks of flight testing in the Camarillo area for this second Electric EEL test aircraft, which first flew on September 10th. In that period, the aircraft flew over 30 hours during 23 flights, in 28 days, with 100% dispatch reliability. “Our success in taking this aircraft in a short period from the test environment to the normal, everyday operating environment is a testament to our development and test organization, and to the systems maturity we have achieved with our second aircraft,” said Ampaire General Manager Doug Shane. A former president of Scaled Composites, Shane is one of the world’s foremost experts on the development and flight testing of new aviation concepts.

The EEL flown to Hayward is dubbed the Hawaiʻi Bird, as it will take part later this year in a series of demonstration flights with Hawaiʻi-based Mokulele Airlines on its short-haul routes. The flight trials with Mokulele will not only demonstrate the capabilities of the EEL but will help to define the infrastructure required for wide adoption of electric aviation by airlines and airports. These flight demonstrations will mark the first time an electrically-powered aircraft has flown under an FAA “Market Survey” experimental aircraft certificate in order to gain real-world flight experience.

In Hayward, the aircraft will be partially disassembled for shipment to Hawaiʻi. The Hawaiʻi flight trials are funded in part by Elemental Excelerator, a global climate-tech accelerator based in Honolulu.

The Electric EEL can generate fuel and emissions savings up to 50 percent on shorter regional routes where the aircraft’s electrical propulsion unit can be run at high power settings, and generate savings of about 30 percent on longer regional routes such as the Camarillo to Hayward flight.

“The Electric EEL is our first step in pioneering new electric aircraft designs,” said Ampaire CEO Noertker. “Our next step will likely be a 19-seat hybrid electric retrofit program that will lower emissions and operating costs, benefiting regional carriers, their passengers and their communities.” Ampaire, with funding from NASA and others, is in the midst of design studies for such an aircraft based on the popular de Havilland Twin Otter aircraft. Ampaire has named the hybrid-electric 19-seater aircraft the Eco Otter SX.

Why it’s important: Ampaire’s strategic approach to retrofitting existing aircraft has allowed the company to rapidly progress in the development of its propulsion technology and demonstrate the potential for making commercial electric air travel a reality. The Los Angeles-based startup has achieved so in the most capital-efficient manner, and is well-positioned to continue its progress given its current partnerships and funding. As said by Ampaire General Manager Doug Shane, “the ability to put innovative electric technologies into the air rapidly in order to assess and refine them is central to Ampaire’s strategy to introduce low-emissions aircraft for regional airlines and charter operators within just a few years.”

Related: Ampaire To Electrify Caravan, Twin Otter

Source // Ampaire press release

Ampaire is currently the developer of the highest capacity hybrid-electric aircraft ever flown. Last month, after the company’s successful flight of its hybridized Cessna 337 Skymaster, it announced a partnership with Personal Airline Exchange (PAX) which included an order for 50 Ampaire EEL Electric Aircraft. Mokulele Airlines on Maui has also taken interest in the EEL, and both airlines plan on offering passenger service late this year in Hawaii.

Just this week, Ampaire announced plans to bring hybrid-electric power to more models of existing aircraft, including the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan and Viking Twin Otter:

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan – Cessna’s largest single-engine airplane ever built, it has a range of 1232 miles and can carry up to 14 passengers. Photo // Swissphoto

Additionally, Ampaire has announced intentions to add a diesel-hybrid retrofit option for piston-powered aircraft. Company CEO Kevin Noertker said his company’s engine conversions cut fuel consumption by between 70 to 90 percent, reduce maintenance expense by 20 to 50 percent, and produce significantly quieter aircraft. According to Noertker, Ampaire currently holds contracts with the U.S. Air Force and NASA, and has received an investment from aircraft engine-maker Continental, in addition to the order for 50 EELs by PAX.

Noertker has said the market for bringing hybrid electric power to commuter aircraft could be worth more than $4 billion, noting that Norway has already set a goal of mandating all-electric aircraft on in-country flights of less than 90 minutes.

Viking Twin Otter – Originally a bush plane, the small commuter has a range of 887 miles and can carry up to 19 passengers. Photo // Aviation Tribune

Ampaire, while still waiting for certification, is well on its way to production in order to fulfill its backlog currently valued at $70 million. “Ampaire’s Electric EEL pre-production prototype is flying right now and performing beautifully,” said Noertker. “We look forward to operators being able to share the thrill of flying electric.”

See our previous article on Ampaire where you can find a clip of the Ampaire EEL in flight.

Why it’s important: Ampaire has chosen to specialize in engine conversions and leave airframe design and manufacturing other companies that have been perfecting these efforts for decades. This has allowed Ampaire to move both quickly and successfully in the electric aviation industry, which is evident by its flying prototype, fundraising success, and order backlog.

Sources // AINonline; Ampaire

In the latest announcement of airline eVTOL orders, Kenya Airways subsidiary, Fahari Aviation, has signed a letter of intent for 40 Embraer EVE eVTOL aircraft. It is expected orders will begin in 2026. The two companies will also partner on the market development of aerial mobility in Kenya and conduct studies on the use of cargo drones.

Allan Kilavuka, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Airways, commented on the joint project between the two companies,

“Urban air mobility is the future of transport and we are honoured to be the champions of this in the region. The journey to realise the dream of eVTOL vehicles in Kenya is on course, and the partnership with Eve is a key achievement for us as part of the strategy to adopt new technologies as a growth strategy for the sustainable development of Africa.”

Over the past months, Eve has conducted similar studies in Scandinavia with Widerøe Zero. Embraer’s Eve has also secured major orders with BLADE for up to 60 aircraft.

Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve, commented on the latest agreement with Fahari Aviation,

“This is a new chapter of the Eve and Fahari Aviation partnership to strengthen both companies’ commitment to establishing the foundations that will sustainably support the ecosystem for urban air mobility in Kenya. Last year, we announced a collaboration to develop operational models for Fahari Aviation’s key markets, and today’s announcement confirms that it is evolving successfully.”

Why it matters: Not many developments for the eVTOL space have been yet made public in Africa. Kenya Airway’s order is a significant step and offers an opportunity to expand urban mobility to the continent. While Eve has yet to fly its prototype, the orders show confidence in the aerospace giant, Embraer, and their potential to deliver a safe, secure, and reliable product to its customers.

JetBlue has formed a partnership with Blade Urban Air Mobility to begin offering helicopter transfers between major airports and final destinations. At some point in the future, these routes will likely be served by eVTOL aircraft.

A Beta Technologies eVTOL with BLADE branding flying above New York City
BLADE has placed an order for 20 of Beta’s ‘Alia’ eVTOL aircraft.

In cities like New York, BLADE’s current helicopter airport transfer offerings mean replacing up to two hours of ground transportation with just a five-minute helicopter flight. In particular, Blade emphasizes airport transfers between JFK Airport and its upscale lounges in East and West Manhattan.

Members of JetBlue’s Mosaic+ program will now have access to (limited) complimentary seats on Blade Airport helicopter transfers when connecting to or from JetBlue flights. In addition, JetBlue flights will now be better synced with BLADE’s helicopter transfer schedules, meaning seamless air mobility travel for customers. BLADE will now also offer daily service between the BLADE Lounge in East Manhattan and JFK.

A BLADE helicopter landing at an NYC lounge after an airport transfer from John F. Kennedy International Airport

“Given its New York City roots JetBlue is an ideal partner as we have ramped up our Blade Airport service to six days a week and up to thirteen hours per day in New York City,” said Melissa Tomkiel, Blade’s President.

Chris Buckner, vice president of loyalty & partnerships, JetBlue, Commented: “We know the JetBlue journey starts long before our customers step aboard one of our flights, which is why we are making more of the entire travel experience even easier and even more rewarding. This partnership with Blade will help us further evolve and enhance our TrueBlue program so our most loyal customers can enjoy more perks more often.”

In recent years, BLADE has made clear intentions to eventually transition from traditional helicopters to eVTOL aircraft for its services. It currently offers both urban air mobility travel and regional mobility travel through helicopters and private fixed-wing aircraft, making eVTOL an excellent and economically better option for the company. Already, BLADE has announced partnerships with eVTOL manufacturers Beta Technologies and Embraer’s Eve for orders of up to 80 total aircraft.

An ‘Eve’ eVTOL from EmbraerX featuring BLADE branding.
BLADE has placed an order for 60 of Beta’s ‘Alia’ eVTOL aircraft.

Why it’s important: This partnership between BLADE and JetBlue represents the beginning of seamless air travel from airports to final destinations within large cities. As eVTOL companies begin to reach the market, expect to see more major airlines looking to create partnerships with aspiring eVTOL operators for better travel experiences that greatly reduce overall travel times. While the current partnership targets Mosaic+ Elite frequent travelers with JetBlue airlines, it’s likely the first in a series of future partnerships between other airlines and last mile mobility companies as the complete travel experience (door to door transport) is capitalized upon.

Source // BLADE Urban Air Mobility

Related:

• EmbraerX’s Eve to Provide BLADE with up to 60 eVTOL Aircraft (June 2021)
• BLADE Urban Air Mobility Achieves 208% Revenue Jump (February 2022)
• BLADE Announces Deal for Operator’s Order of up to 20 BETA EVA’s (April 2021)

Kaman Corporation, a company that makes aerospace components and helicopters, has announced a $10 million USD investment in Near Earth Autonomy, which creates autonomous flight systems for drones and full-sized helicopters.

Above: Near Earth Autonomy’s automation hardware integrated with a Kaman K-Max helicopter

In exchange for the $10 million investment, Kaman Corporation will receive minority interest in the outstanding equity of Near Earth and one seat on its board of directors. According to a recent press release from Nearth Earth Autonomy, the funds will be used to accelerate its technology to establish an ‘industry standard’ in autonomous
solutions for aircraft.

Kaman will also become Nearth Earth Autonomy’s preferred parts manufacturer, leveraging Kaman’s decades of experience in aerospace components manufacturing.

The announcement of this investment follows an initial partnership agreement between Kaman and Near Earth Autonomy in August of 2020, in which Near Earth signed on to develop autonomous systems for Kaman’s K-Max TITAN helicopter. The K-Max TITAN, an impressive helicopter capable of carrying over 6,000 lbs of cargo, will be one of Near Earth’s largest autonomy-enabled aircraft, with uses in aerial mobility, military, delivery, and medical relief. In addition, Kaman also made an announcement in 2021 of its intentions to build autonomous eVTOL aircraft for military applications.

Going forward, Near Earth will provide safe landing, obstacle avoidance, and other autonomous flight technologies such as sense and avoid, navigation in a GPS-denied environment, and precision landing for Kaman’s helicopters, some of which are built to serve the United States Marine Corps.

Kaman has been making aerospace components and aircraft since as early as 1945. Said Ian Walsh, Chairman, President and CEO of Kaman, “We are excited about this opportunity to accelerate the technology development of
autonomous systems. After several years of working together on our K-MAX TITAN and most recently on KARGO UAV, taking our relationship with Near Earth to the next level will help us accelerate this important technology even faster. In an ever-changing and growing autonomy market, we are confident that our joint expertise will result in highly capable, reliable, affordable and maintainable solutions for both military and commercial
applications.”

Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth Autonomy commented, “This investment represents a major leap forward for both Kaman and Near Earth to enable the next generation of autonomous aerial logistics. Kaman has a well-deserved reputation for its robust aircraft specializing in logistics and is a fantastic partner for the development of autonomous cargo transport. We are excited at the opportunity to mature the technology for the commonplace use of autonomous aircraft for logistics across the industry.”

Why it’s important: Kaman and Near Earth Autonomy are making massive steps in laying the foundation for autonomous aircraft in the U.S and abroad. By creating autonomous and optionally piloted helicopters that are set to enter service into the military in the very near future, these companies are creating need for the software, hardware, regulations, and airspace management systems that will be required for large-scale autonomous operations including aircraft like eVTOL air taxis.

On May 21, after months of rigorous testing, the Jetson team has completed its “first-ever eVTOL commute” with its single-seater eVTOL aircraft. Jetson co-founder Tomasz Patan piloted the Jetson ONE eVTOL as the Jetson team waited for the aircraft’s arrival at the Santa Maria a Monte facility in Tuscany. The eVTOL commute reduced trip time as compared to a car by an impressive 88%.

Jetson described the flight as a breakthrough for the emerging eVTOL sector and for its own rapidly growing company.

The latest Jetson ONE version was unveiled by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco on Thursday June 9, 2022. The ceremony marked the first time Jetson ONE was seen in public since it entered the market in late October 2021.

“Our long-term goal is to democratize flight. We firmly believe the ‘eVTOL’ is the future for mass transportation. We are committed to making this a reality,” said Tomasz Patan, co-founder and CTO of Jetson.

The Jetson ONE is constructed of a race-car inspired lightweight aluminum space frame and a carbon-Kevlar composite body. It is powered by eight electric motors, has a flight time of 20 minutes, and reaches a top speed of 63 miles per hour (102 kilometers per hour). The aircraft is powered by a high discharge lithium-ion battery and can carry a pilot’s weight of 210 pounds (100kg).

“The Jetson ONE is incredibly fun to fly. Most importantly, the flight stabilization system we developed makes flight super easy. We can make anyone a pilot in less than five minutes,” said Peter Ternstrom, co-founder and president.

Why it’s important: This demonstration flight is a significant milestone for the urban air mobility industry as it proves the feasibility of near term eVTOL air taxis. While the Jetson ONE is a personal air vehicle as opposed to commercially operated, it signals to consumers and operators that the technology is ready for implementation as soon as regulations and infrastructure are established, and that eVTOL transportation has immense benefits while remaining operationally affordable.

Source // Jetson press release

Related: Jetson ONE eVTOL sold out for 2022 deliveries (March 2022)

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the company behind a new airship powered by a combination of helium and electric propulsion, has announced that Iberian Airline Air Nostrum has placed a pre-order for ten of its ‘Airlander 10’ airships. Delivery of aircraft and subsequent operations launch is expected to begin in 2026.

Hybrid Air Vehicles has been developing its airships since 2007, with this purchase from Air Nostrum as its first major order deal. Air Nostrum is one of the largest regional airlines in Europe, with initial operations for the Airlander 10 set to take place across Spain.

Above: Airlander 10’s first test flight from Cardington airfield, just outside Bedford, on 17 August 2016

Although the Airlander 10 only has a top speed of about 80mph, it would cut emissions by about 90% as compared to traditional aircraft, while simultaneously offering much more scenic views than airplanes. According to a recent press release, HAV and Nostrum airlines have conducted rigorous studies and modeling of domestic Spanish routes, as well as their associated economics.

The Airlander 10 can also stay in the air for a maximum of 5 days, giving it even greater potential for air tourism. In addition, the Airlander 10 offers a massive amount of cargo space while requiring no runway at all, which could mean a very wide range of logistics applications.

Said Carlos Bertomeu, President of Air Nostrum, “We are exploring each and every possible way to reduce our carbon footprint. This is something that we have been doing for many years. The Airlander 10 will drastically reduce emissions and for that reason we have made this agreement with HAV. Sustainability, which is good news for everyone, is already a non-negotiable fact in the daily operations of commercial aviation. Agreements such as these are a very effective way to reach the de-carbonization targets contemplated in the Fit for 55 legislative initiative.”

Tom Grundy, CEO of Hybrid Air Vehicles, commented, “Airlander is designed to deliver a better future for sustainable aviation services, enable new transport networks and provide rapid growth options for our customers. Our partnership with Air Nostrum Group, as the launch airline for Airlander 10, leads the way towards that future. As countries like France, Denmark, Norway, Spain and the UK begin to put in place ambitious mandates for the decarbonisation of domestic and short haul flight, Hybrid Air Vehicles and Air Nostrum Group are demonstrating how we can get there – and get there soon.”

Production of the Airlander 10 will begin this year in South Yorkshire UK.

Why it’s important: While the Airlander 10 cannot travel at the speeds of smaller, 4-passenger eVTOLs and has a much larger size footprint, it has a massive 100-passenger capacity while still offering ultra-low emissions and minimal infrastructure requirements. For missions like air tourism, regional transportation, or transportation of a large amount of goods to regions with fragile or limited infrastructure, the Air Lander 10 could be an excellent option. In addition, with modifications for cargo-carrying, the Airlander would be the only hybrid-electric aircraft capable of carrying payloads up to 45 tons.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) company, Overair, just announced its most recent funding of $145 million from Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Aerospace, global leaders in ultra-precision communications and aircraft technologies. With this new investment, Overair claims that it remains on track to fly its all-electric experimental prototype in the second half of 2023.

“This is a tremendous milestone for our growing team, and we’re extremely well positioned to deliver sustainable aerial ridesharing to the world through the development of Butterfly,” said Ben Tigner, Co-Founder and CEO of Overair. “We’re exactly where we want to be, building a superior aircraft company with class leading mobility technology around an unrivaled aircraft while rapidly approaching the first flight of a purpose-built prototype next year. We’ve proven Butterfly’s propulsion system, so we’ll now begin validating Butterfly’s ability to operate safely in real-world weather conditions, carry significant payloads, and fly incredibly quietly.”

Butterfly is an all-electric aircraft with six seats designed to take off and land vertically. The aircraft’s advanced propulsion system is derived from decades of military VTOL programs led by Abe Karem. Thanks to this legacy of proprietary engineering, Butterfly’s propulsion is extremely efficient and is claimed to give Butterfly the broadest flight envelope and smallest sound footprint of any aircraft in the burgeoning industry. Specifically, Butterfly’s unique Optimum Speed Propulsion (OSP) uses four large propellers, which spin slowly when hovering and even slower when cruising, and draw only a fraction of the available motor power, giving Butterfly extra payload capacity and power margins to operate safely in challenging environmental conditions. Additionally, the slow-turning props produce extraordinarily little sound, which will allow Butterfly to operate in high-density areas with noise sensitive communities.

“Hanwha’s basic principles for new business development is to focus on ‘Disruptive Innovation’ that can uproot and shift the market and technology trends based on its core capabilities. In alignment with its core capabilities as well as its main businesses, Hanwha is selecting ‘Game Changer’ businesses that it can really excel in the future, and eVTOL vehicle is one of the ‘Game changer,'” said Mr. Sungchul Eoh, CEO of Hanwha Systems. “With regard to our investment decision in Overair, we assessed that the company had the numerous patients and core technologies required to develop highly efficient, low noise vehicle. Therefore, we expected that Overair would be capable of developing superb vehicle that can satisfy the requirements for safety, efficiency, speed, low noise, and environment-friendly feature. We see the potential of Overair’s Optimum Speed Propulsion system and we will continue to work together to find synergies and bring this breakthrough technology to the world.”

As the company continues to work toward FAA certification, Overair is also working with NASA and Urban Movement Labs in Los Angeles to develop urban air mobility (UAM) routing and infrastructure. 

Why it’s important: Hanwha’s continued investment in Overair not only fuels the ongoing development of Butterfly but will also allow Overair to lay the groundwork for commercializing their mobility technology. In addition to their investment, Hanwha will also provide electric motors and battery packs for Overair’s prototypes, as the two companies expand their R&D co-operation.

Eve, the eVTOL development subsidiary of Embraer, has announced partnerships with Corporacíon America Airports and with Falcon Aviation Services to bring tourist and transportation flights to Dubai and cities in Latin America and Europe.

This announcement comes one month after Eve went public on the NYSE, raising an additional $377 million towards creation of this aircraft. 

Above: Rendering of the Eve eVTOL aircraft in flight over Dubai

Eve’s eVTOL aircraft will be fully electric, and able to carry four passengers plus a pilot. In the past two years, Eve has made significant progress by forming partnerships with aircraft operators all over the world, seeking to augment or even replace helicopter services at many of these companies.

On June 9th, Eve announced a partnership with Corporación América Airports, the largest private-sector airport concession operator in the world by number of airports, to ‘design and integrate a service and support ecosystem for Urban Air Mobility’ in Europe and Latin America. Together, Eve and Corporación América Airports will begin assessing the readiness of ground infrastructure for the integration of eVTOL connection services. The eventual goal of this project will be to create eVTOL infrastructure at airports that will allow for direct eVTOL transfers from commercial jet flights, so that passengers can travel directly from airports to their final destinations within major cities. Initial work will be conducted as research of the regulatory requirements and infrastructure needs at airports.

Said Martin Eurnekian, CEO of Corporación América Airports, “The next five years will probably be decisive in how we move from and through cities, and aviation will play a leading role again. Corporación América Airports has always been at the forefront of air transport services and now wants to be a key player in the UAM segment, identifying the challenges and opportunities for better operational, infrastructural and secure contexts. We want to lead the development of the UAM ecosystem, allowing mobility in the third dimension accessible to all, in a more sustainable transportation mode.”

Above: Close-up rendering of the Eve eVTOL aircraft

On June 7th, Eve also announced a partnership with Falcon Aviation Services, a leading private jet and helicopter operator in the Middle East and Africa region, for a pre-order of up to 35 of Eve’s eVTOL aircraft. With deliveries expected to start in 2026, Falcon may become one of the world’s first operators of the Eve aircraft, planning to introduce the first eVTOL services as tourism flights from Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. According to a recent press release, Eve and Falcon will work together with local stakeholders and authorities to eventually transition from tourist flight services to developing an Urban Air Mobility ecosystem for all of the United Arab Emirates.

Captain Ramandeep Oberoi, Chief Operating Officer of Falcon, said: “We are ecstatic to partner with Eve and be the first operator of eVTOL in Dubai & the MENA region. Falcon is actively engaged in Urban Air Mobility emergence and committed to delivering an effective and sustainable new urban transportation mode and providing the community with better and faster solutions. We are particularly proud to take a new step in the UAE, in a project that will be revolutionary for sustainable urban mobility.”

Why it’s important: Together, these two new partnerships will do much to drive forward Eve’s efforts to lay the groundwork for its all-electric aircraft. While other eVTOL developers have a challenge establishing their reputation as new companies, Embraer has a key advantage via its long-time expertise in aircraft development. In the last few years, Eve has been using Embraer’s excellent reputation to steadily add to its growing infrastructure partner list, strengthening the environment for the launch of its aircraft once it is certified.

Source // Eve

Related:

• Embraer’s Eve partners with Porsche Consulting to define eVTOL global strategy
• Eve Lands Order for up to 50 eVTOLs from Aviair and Helispirit
• Eve and Falko to develop Global Operator Network with a potential order for 200 eVTOLs
• Airline Sydney Seaplanes teams up with EmbraerX’s Eve to transition to eVTOLs
• Nautilus and Embraer’s UAM subsidiary Eve partner to develop eVTOL ecosystem in Australia