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.

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

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)

The AIR ONE, a two-seat eVTOL capable of flying up to 100 miles on all-electric power, has officially completed its first flight in which it transitioned from hover to forward cruise. This is a major milestone for the company, as it proves out the aircraft’s designed capabilities as a personal aerial mobility vehicle.

On December 18th, the Israeli startup AIR announced that its prototype eVTOL successfully took off vertically, loaded at full capacity (550lbs), and then transitioned to its normal cruising speed using its main wing for lift.

According to a recent press release from the company, this milestone was reached just five months after completing successful hover flight testing in August of 2022, keeping the company on track to deliver the first batch of its of production AIR ONE’s for personal ownership in late 2024.

“It is thrilling to have reached this moment in our journey as we strive to build the foundation to make personal air mobility a reality,” said Rani Plaut, CEO and co-founder of AIR. “AIR is incredibly proud to play a role in the global Advanced Aerial Mobility movement, and we’re looking forward and upward to 2024 when adoption of privately-owned eVTOLs takes flight.”

Unlike many eVTOL aircraft currently in development, AIR’s goal with the AIR ONE is to create a ‘personal mobility’ aircraft that’s privately owned, rather than a shared vehicle to be flown commercially by major operators. The aircraft can fly up to 155mph, and can even fold its wings to fit in most garages or driveways.

Above: AIR ONE takes to the skies in its maiden unmanned flight on Dec 18th, 2018

Following this latest milestone, AIR plans to transfer the bulk of its operations and R&D to the United States, where further flight testing, development, and ongoing certification collaboration with the FAA will continue. In addition, AIR has invested in strategic partnerships with aviation companies around the world and unveiled the full-scale AIR ONE prototype at this year’s Kentucky Derby, EAA AirVenture, and the Detroit Auto Show, all since coming out of stealth nearly a year and a half ago.

Why it’s important: Several personal aerial mobility aircraft are currently in development alongside the AIR ONE, such as the Skyfly Axe, the PAL-V, the Jetson One, and the Ryse Recon. However, the AIR ONE has show some of the strongest developmental progress towards commercialization, combined with the largest passenger capacity and flight range. With this latest significant engineering milestone compete, the AIR ONE has taken a major next step towards certification, as well as proved the company’s ability to meet its developmental timeline and vision for production sales by 2024.

Related:

• AIR CEO Discusses AIR ONE’s Role in Aerial Mobility (January 2022)
• AIR ONE Completes Hover Tests, Receives Airworthiness Certificate (August 2022)
• Archer Achieves Forward Flight Transition with Maker
• Lilium Completes Transition from Hover to Winged Flight

As part of its journey to Type certification, Joby’s eVTOL needs to undergo four system reviews, two of which have now been successfully completed.

Joby Aviation, one of the forerunners of the eVTOL movement, has now announced another milestone in its journey to fully certify its electric eVTOL aircraft with the FAA.

As Joby moves forward with Type Certification, it has continually worked closely with the FAA. Part of this process involves several full-system audits of Joby’s aircraft, which take place in-person over several days. Earlier this month, Joby completed the second out of four of these system audits at their test site in Marina, CA. These reviews are conducted to validate the overall architecture of the aircraft and ensure the OEM’s development is on track to meet the FAA’s safety objectives.

Said Didier Papadopoulos, head of Aircraft OEM at Joby, “Progress on certification is a key area of focus for this nascent sector, and we’re pleased to mark our continued leadership with the successful completion of our second system review. We’re confident that our aircraft design is on track to meet the FAA’s expectations regarding system-level safety, redundancy, and overall aircraft architecture.”

Notably, Joby also recently worked with the FAA to determine the full Airworthiness criteria for its eVTOL. The criteria developed for Joby will also likely set standards for other upcoming eVTOLs, as Joby is on track to be the first to be certified in the United States. Read more about this collaboration here.

In late 2020, Joby emerged from stealth mode with hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, including major backing from Toyota. With these release, it simultaneously announced Military airworthiness certification, along with collaborations with NASA and the USAF’s Agility prime to bring the aircraft into commercial and government service. Read more on Joby here.

Why it’s important: With this milestone, Joby continues to mark consistent progress in its certification journey with the FAA. Not only does this prove the ability for eVTOL aircraft to successfully proceed with FAA certification; it also proves that Joby is able to complete its developmental goals. Additionally, this certification effort will likely pave the way for other upcoming eVTOL makers.

Source // Joby Aviation, Revolution Aero

Related:

• FAA Proposes Airworthiness Criteria for Joby eVTOL (November 2022)
• Delta and Joby to Partner for Seamless Home-to-Airport Transportation (October 2022)
• Joby Expands Partnership with US Department of Defense (August 2022)
• Joby Completes 150-mile Flight, Begins Part 135 Certification Process (July 2021)

Near Earth Autonomy, a company developing autonomous flight systems for new and existing aircraft, has received the Innovator of the Year award from the Pittsburgh Technology Council, where the company is based.

Above: Kaman Aerospace’s K-Max Helicopter, recently integrated with autonomous systems from Near Earth Autonomy

Near Earth Autonomy is a growing leader in autonomous flight technologies. As the company has developed, it has created autonomous flight systems for both full-size traditional helicopters as well as drones. Near Earth’s solutions enable aerial mobility applications for partners in the commercial and defense sectors.

Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Technology Council named Near Earth as the category winner for AI/ML/Robotics in the Southwest Pennsylvania Area. Each year, the Pittsburgh Technology Council celebrates the most successful and innovative companies in Southwestern PA at their Tech 50 Awards event, with past winners included self-driving cars that now operate commercially in Pittsburgh.

Said PTC CEO Audrey Russo, “While Pittsburgh is known for self-driving cars, Near Earth is unique in that it has pioneered autonomy for the next generation of aircraft. We expect nothing less than a rethinking of aerial transportation from them. We are proud of Near Earth for bringing “Aviation Alley” to the high-tech ecosystem in the Pittsburgh region.”

Said Sanjiv Singh, CEO and Co-Founder of Near Earth Autonomy, “We are grateful for the Tech Council’s recognition of our work in building the future of autonomous flight. My sincere gratitude goes to our employees and collaborators in helping create the building blocks for safe and efficient autonomous flight. The PTC has been a driving force behind the region’s upward trajectory, making Pittsburgh a great place to grow and scale a technology company.”

So far, Near Earth Autonomy’s eVTOL aerial mobility partners have included Volocopter, Eve, and Kaman Aerospace.

Why it’s important: This recognition from the City of Pittsburg indicates the potential for open collaboration between the city’s government and companies like Near Earth Autonomy that provide autonomous flight. With the city already adopting the commercialization of autonomous automobiles, it also may soon become one of the first to begin integrating autonomous flight. Additionally, with this growth and relationships in these cities, Near Earth positions itself well as a potential partner for eVTOL aircraft and operations developers to begin integrating autonomous systems and operations in this area.

Source // Near Earth Autonomy Press Release

Related:

• Kaman Corporation Invests $10M in Near Earth Autonomy (June 2022)
• Volocopter and Near Earth Autonomy to Partner for BVLOS VoloDrone Ops (June 2021)
• Embraer and Eve Evaluate Autonomous Flight Technologies over Rio de Janeiro (May 2022)
• Adacel opens new Office for Virtual Air Traffic Control in Estonia (November 2022)
• Xwing Partners with NASA for Autonomous Air Mobility (November 2022)

Blueflite, developer an eVTOL cargo system and aircraft , has just announced that the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) has granted a patent for the company’s aircraft design. The patent is specifically titled “Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicle”.

While Blueflite’s aircraft is not the same size as some large scale eVTOLs in development, the company has already begun making many of its products and services commercially available. The aircraft’s unique design can allow for maneuverability in many urban environments, and operations in areas where infrastructure may not be accessible.

While the aircraft uses wings to provide lift in forward flight, the rotors of the aircraft can tilt to either provide forward propulsion, or lift and control for vertical take-off, landing, low-speed flight, and hovering. This unique design can provide maneuverability, speed, range, and payload capabilities that combined would not be possible in fixed-wing UAVs or quadcopter layouts. The patent filed with the USPTO covers company’s proprietary aircraft design including the unique tilt-mechanism, internal payload bay, compact wing design, and control software.

Said Frank Noppel, Blueflite Founder and CEO, when speaking about the aircraft: “These key features are absent from most delivery drones on the market today and we believe that these capabilities are essential to succeed in the drone logistics industry. This is just the first in a series of patents we have pending as Blueflite continues to invest in the best mobility technology for future logistics solutions.”

Blueflite is based in Ann-Arbor, Michigan, with the mission of providing a “drone-based logistics platform for faster and more cost-effective deliveries.” In particular, the company prides itself on its aircraft’s ability to dependably manuever in inclimate weather and urban environments, as well as complete longer-range mission profiles.

Why it’s important: The design of Blueflite’s aircraft has immense potential both for UAV drone operations and for larger-scale cargo eVTOLs. By receiving this patent, Blueflite will be able to begin implementing its winged eVTOL solution commercially in more areas. These operations can both prove the functionality of this design as well as demonstrate the immense benefits of this technology. Together, these will encourage the further development of this industry, as well as larger aircraft that can deliver even more cargo with the same versatile capabilities.

Source // Blueflite

Related:

• Blueflite Receives Testing Grant from Michigan Economic Development Corporation
• Wingcopter Captures $16MM Deal with Spright for Medical Drone Deliveries in the US
• Wing’s New Model for Metropolitan Drone Delivery
• EHang Unveils Heavy-lift AAV for Short-to-Medium-Haul Aerial Logistics

Adacel, a global expert in advanced air traffic control solutions, has recently announced the opening of a new office in Estonia, furthering the country’s expansion in Europe for its virtual air traffic management solutions.

Above: One of Adacel’s Virtual Air Traffic Control solutions in action

Adacel is a long-standing provider of advanced air traffic control products and services, in commercial operation since 1987. According to the company, more than 21% of the world’s airspace is managed with Adacel’s Aurora ATM software. Now, as Adacel looks into the future of these technologies, it has opened a new office in Tallinn, Estonia.

Adacel’s expertise lies in creating digital air traffic control solutions. Currently, it’s most up-and coming product is REVAL, a virtual air-traffic control tower that allows air traffic controllers to manage airspace remotely. These ‘remote tower operations’ allow for remote single-tower management of air traffic control in medium-sized airports. Each system includes technologies for managing communication, navigation, and surveillance, all in order to provide the benefits of an on-site tower with a more cost-effective approach.

The company’s new office in Tallin is a direct result of its virtual ATC tower acquisition and development. The new office will focus exclusively growing Adacel’s virtual ATC business, while working in close collaboration with Estonian Air Navigation Services to deliver its vision of fully digitizing Estonia’s regional airports by 2025.

Said Daniel Verret, Adacel’s CEO, “Adacel’s mission is to leverage our industry expertise with the infinite potential of technology to advance safety and efficiency in aviation. With the opening of our new office in Tallinn, Estonia, we are committed to carry out our vision with the new team.”

Above: Autonomous aerial mobility developer Ehang’s virtual air traffic control center, which looks similar to a larger-scale version of Adacel’s remote ATC towers.

Why it’s important: While Adacel currently hasn’t announced any specifics regarding airspace management for urban aerial mobility aircraft like eVTOL, the company is clearly dedicated to staying at the cutting-edge of aviation and air traffic management innovations. As eVTOL aircraft begin to commercialize and their operation numbers grow, there will certainly be great need for technologies that allow controllers to efficiently manage high volumes of these aircraft in dense urban areas. Adacel, as a premier global provider in this field, would be well positioned to begin creating these intelligent solutions.

Source // Adacel, Ehang

Related:

• EHang’s Falcon AAV Performs Logistics Deliveries in Estonia
• Virtual ATC Tower Training Opportunities for Aerial Mobility

While many eVTOL makers have kept autonomy in mind while designing their aircraft, most upcoming designs feature piloted solutions, with some semi-autonomous pilot-assistance capabilities. As these aircraft have come closer to certification, it’s become apparent that commercial airworthiness for these electric aircraft will likely come before fully autonomous flight, meaning that autonomy has become a less immediate goal.

However, flight autonomy company Xwing has now formed a three-year partnership with NASA to begin developing safety frameworks and infrastructure infrastructure standards for autonomous flight.

Currently, Xwing’s work includes creating autonomous flight systems for existing aircraft, such as modified Cessna Grand Caravans. In 2021, the company flew the world’s first fully autonomous cargo flight with one of these aircraft. In this flight, the fixed-wing aircraft was able to back out of its gate, fly a predetermined mission, and pull into a gate at the destination, all fully autonomously. The ultimate vision of the company is to create systems that will allow many kinds of aircraft to completely autonomously fly pre-set routes.

In Xwing’s new partnership with NASA, the two organizations seek to establish what impact autonomous aircraft may have on national airspace, and build safety procedures for autonomous operations and design. The partnership will allow data to be shared between the two organizations, and first aims to evaluate safety arguments around runway detection and identification for vision-based landing.  It will also assess aircraft localization assurance processes and enhance GPS, according to NASA.

Said Marc Piette, CEO, Xwing: “There are different components associated with doing this. A big part is the safety case, that comes with system safety analysis, data analysis to ensure these vehicles can integrate safely with other traffic whilst being able to perform all the phases of a set mission.”

With the partnership, Xwing will also begin to share data captured from its non-autonomous part 135 cargo fleet as well. NASA’s System-Wide Safety Program (SWS) Project Manager said, “NASA focuses its research and technology transfers to have real impact, and this will help NASA understand the real-world challenges that industry is facing. Emerging aviation relies heavily on advanced automation to ensure safety, and Xwing is working to bring novel, safe aviation opportunities to the American public.”

Why it’s important: As more eVTOL aircraft take to the sky in dense urban areas, need will likely arise for artificially intelligent air traffic management softwares to assist pilots and air traffic control in airspace management. As these systems become more prevalent, systems like Xwing’s will likely eventually integrate with these to allow aircraft to act in accordance with this airspace guidance. Eventually, research being conducted by Xwing and NASA could mean that aircraft could fly completely autonomously, coordinating airspace with one another through software. It’s possible that under pilot supervision, we may be able to see these technologies begin developing within the next decade, as urban air mobility and autonomous flight evolves.

Source // XWing, AOPA, Revolution.aero

Designed to look as sleek and accessible as an electric car, Xpeng’s X2 eVTOL prototype recently conducted a demonstration flight in Dubai at the SkyDive Dubai event, attended by representatives from the Chinese Consulate in Dubai, the Dubai International Chamber of Commerce, and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. 

XPeng is a well-known and thoroughly established electric car maker in China, bringing in over $4B in revenue per year. For a few years now, XPeng has made clear its goal of expanding into air mobility, with the XPeng X2 (featured above) as one if its key products in development.

The XPeng X2 will be optionally-piloted, with semi-autonomous and eventually fully autonomous capabilities. With room for two passengers, the all-electric aircraft will be able to travel at speeds up to 80mph.

The demonstration flight in Dubai of the X2 was one of the aircraft’s first publicized flights. Although the aircraft was unpiloted in the air, attendees were able to sit inside the functioning aircraft while on the ground to get a sense of the passenger experience. Said Acting President and CEO Hassan Al Hashemi of The Dubai Chamber, which was involved in the planning of the event: “The first global public flight of the X2 flying car will change the game of future mobility. The flying car is the epitome of ambition, innovation and future-oriented vision that has always inspired Dubai and its leadership.”

According to XPeng’s chief Aviation Specialist Liu Xinyin, regulations should allow these kinds air vehicles to be used within limited regulated spaces in China within five years, in accordance with the Chinese government’s current goals. XPeng’s intention is to collaborate with governments in establishing physical and regulatory infrastructure for flight in urban areas.

Furthermore, XPeng plans on creating several kinds of products to expand into the aerial mobility space. Most recently, the company announced development of a propeller-lift add-on for its electric cars:

According to XPeng, this product will be a set of propellers that can fold into a box that will sit on top of electric cars. The vision is that at the push of a button, drivers will be able to unfold these rotors to allow the ground vehicle to transition to vertical flight. The company has already begun to create patents for these folding rotors. Learn more here.

Why it’s important: With competitors like EHang also targeting the aerial mobility space in China and Asia, Xpeng has affirmed solid progress of its eVTOL air vehicle with this demonstration flight. However, the aerial mobility efforts of XPeng also show a bigger picture – that the company is making moves to become a universal mobility provider for both ground and air based mobility. With the company already publicly traded, and already receiving immense success in its electric car business, it is well set up with funds and influence to develop and bring to commercialization many new kinds of aerial mobility products.

Sources // CNN, XPeng, DesignBoom

Related:

• XPeng raises $500 million to fund 2024 delivery of its flying car (October 2021)
• XPeng’s ‘X2’ Arrives in the Netherlands (March 2022)
• EHang 216 Completes Trial Flights Spanning Four Japanese Cities Over One Week (July 2022)
• EHang Secures Pre-Order for 100 EH216 AAVs from Indonesia’s Prestige Aviation (April 2022)

Leo Aircraft, which is creating a compact eVTOL powered by all-electric jet propulsion, announced its prototype’s first manned flight this week.

Leo Flight has a vision for an all-electric aircraft that can take to the skies as easily as a traditional automotive vehicle uses roads. This means that the electric aircraft it’s designing will take up no more space than a common SUV, while still being able to seat two passengers plus bags and a pilot, and travel for around 250 miles per full charge.

The company was founded by Pete Bitar and Carlos Salaff in spring of 2020, and since won NASA’s 2021 HeroX challenge.

Unlike most eVTOL aircraft, Leo Flight’s Coupe is propelled using a system of small all-electric jet engines embedded in the vehicle’s sides, as well as pusher jets at its rear. Compared with competitor aircraft, Leo Flight claims that this design will increase efficiency and versatility, will keep the vehicle compact and configurable, and will be safer due to the lack of external propellers.

Also unlike competitors, the Leo Coupe will be designed for both private vehicle ownership in addition to commercial transportation.

Late last week, the company announced the first manned flight of its prototype. Although this flight was a tethered hover test, its success speaks volumes to the potential of this technology.

Why it’s important: Leo Flight’s Coupe aircraft currently has very few competitors in the space of compact electric jet propulsion, with the possible exceptions of the Lilium jet, and the Mayman Aerospace Speeder. The Lilium jet however has a much larger size footprint, while the Mayman Speeder currently has a much smaller configuration. This means that currently for its size segment, Leo’s coupe is the only aircraft offering this type of propulsion.

Other competitors in this size and target market segment include the Air One, and the Skyfly Axe, although both of these feature external propellor configurations. Given that Lilium has proven the feasibility of this kind of jet propulsion for vertical flight, Leo Aircraft has a solid chance at creating a dynamic and highly functional aircraft for this size category. Additionally, the company could also extend into other vehicle sizes and configurations using the propulsion technology currently under development.

Source // Leo Aircraft

Related:

• AIR ONE Completes Hover Tests, Receives Airworthiness Certificate (August 2022)
• Mayman Aerospace receives $1.25MM from USAF’s Agility Prime initiative (September 2022)
• Skyfly begins orders for its ‘Axe’ 2-seat eVTOL (Julu 2022)
• Lilium Completes Transition from Hover to Winged Flight (June 2022)

Archer has announced plans to ramp up production of its anticipated Midnight production model. According to a company press release, the firm expects to certify Midnight in 2024 and to produce 250 units in 2025.

This production rate will increase to 2,000 vehicles annually or 167 per month with plans to produce 500 units in 2026 and 650 units in 2027.

“We are in the process of developing the infrastructure necessary to manufacture Midnight reliably, at scale, and in a cost effective manner. We continue to expand our portfolio of foundational suppliers that will provide us with critical components for Midnight,” the company said.

“We now have more than 50 percent of our suppliers for our bill-of-materials selected, based on cost, with that being made up of global leaders in the design, development and manufacturing of aircraft components. We are excited by the significant progress we’ve made in securing world-class suppliers for Midnight that will support us in meeting our key design and operational specifications that will deliver on our mission and business objectives,” the company added.

United Airlines, Archer’s largest customer, has already placed a $10m USD pre-payment for 100 eVTOL units, but no other marquee orders have been placed for Midnight against competition with Joby, Wisk, and Vertical Aerospace, among others.

Why it matters: Achieving a production rate of 167 units per month would be an unprecedented rate for the aerospace sector. At their peak Airbus and Boeing produce their most backordered aircraft – the A320 NEO and the 737 MAX – at only 60-75 units per month. To achieve this rate, it would be helpful for Archer to secure several more orders, and take steps to ensure a streamlined supply chain.

At the NBAA-BACE 2022 aviation conference in Orlando, Florida earlier this month, electric aircraft propulsion developer Magnix announced that it will now begin developing hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion solutions in addition to its current hybrid and all-electric propulsion programs.

Above: An image of eViation’s Alice 9-passenger electric aircraft in its first flight, powered by two of Magnix‘s 650-kilowatt electric motors

Magnix has been working on becoming a global leader in electric aircraft propulsion systems for several years. A first major announcement came from the company in 2020, when it flew a fully-electric modified Cessna Grand Caravan, making it the largest all-electric aircraft ever to take flight at the time. Since then, the company has made massive strides by partnering with Harbour Air to create the world’s first all-electric airline, and also by partnering with Eviation, Blade Air Mobility, and even with Surf Air.

Since its inception, Magnix has worked hard to branch out its offerings for zero-emission propulsion, already having announced several iterations of its all-electric and hybrid-electric units. Now, the company has also announced development of hydrogen fuel-cell power production units, likely to be paired with its electric motors for many aircraft.

Said MagniX CEO Nuno Taborda, “The future of sustainable aviation will require a mix of solutions. We are bringing our experience and expertise to advance hydrogen fuel cell technology, which will enable us to power even more aircraft.”

Simon Roads, MagniX’s head of marketing, commented: “We’re very focused on battery development, and we’re also very focused on hydrogen fuel cell development. We’re very focused on battery development, and we’re also very focused on hydrogen fuel cell development.”

Above: Testing a hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft propulsion system

Why it’s important: With this latest announcement, Magnix continues to push forward its breadth of zero-emissions propulsion offerings. Through doing so, the company further solidifies its place as a solid and well-versed provider of these products. As the demand for zero-emissions aviation propulsion rises, more and more aircraft developers will be looking for partners like Magnix, even further growing this new company’s standing in the global propulsion market.

Sources // Magnix, FutureFlight, eViation

Related:

• Eviation’s first all-electric airplane takes flight (September 2022)
• Blade Partners with magniX for Electrification of Lima Cessnas (May 2021)
• Harbour Air Completes First All-Electric Powered Flight (December 2019)
• Australian Airline Skytrans Partners with Stralis for Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Aircraft (July 2021)
• Plug Power Invests in Airflow’s eSTOL for Hydrogen Propulsion (October 2021)
• Airbus Focuses on Hydrogen Power for Flight (September 2021)

Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ampaire, a company developing a family of hybrid-electric aircraft, to develop global resources for electric aircraft support and advancement.

Above: Ampaire’s proof of concept aircraft, which already set the record for the longest ever flight by a hybrid-electric aircraft at 1,075 miles

Ampaire has been developing electric and hybrid-electric aircraft concepts since its formation in 2016, with the mission to become the world’s most-trusted developer of practical electric aircraft. Currently, the company is in the process of certifying its nine-seat, hybrid-electric Eco Caravan, with an introduction to service planned for 2024, and plans to next create a larger 19-passenger aircraft.

In Ampaire’s new partnership with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance, the two companies will work together to create global resources for electric aircraft support and development. These will include electric aircraft maintenance training programs, Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) upgrades, and potential component pooling and operational data analysis to ensure optimal support.

Said Kevin Noertker, founder Ampaire and CEO of Ampaire, “Ampaire and AFI KLM E&M will work together to explore maintenance support for game-changing low-emissions aircraft on a worldwide basis. AFI KLM E&M’s powerful global network and strong expertise will give operators everywhere high technical confidence in new propulsion systems. These systems will also provide optimized maintenance costs compared to conventional turbines.”

For Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance, the goal of the program is to make AFI KLM E&M a preferred global preferred partner for electric aircraft maintenance and training. Said Ton Dortmans, EVP KLM Engineering & Maintenance, “This MoU anticipates a future with expanded new ways of air transportation options hand-in-hand with lower emissions. We have chosen to collaborate with Ampaire because their approach is visionary and also extremely methodical and practical, which means these beneficial technologies can be already introduced in the very near future.”

The companies are also planning to collaborate on STC installations of Ampaire’s hybrid-electric upgrades through the airline’s global MRO network.

Why it’s important: With this announcement, Air France industries joins the growing number of major airlines investing in electric aviation. By forming this partnership early, AFI KLM E&M has signaled its belief that Ampaire will become a major electric aircraft provider, and has begun laying groundwork to make itself one of the world’s top providers in electric aircraft maintenance and support globally.

Source // Ampaire

Related:

• Delta and Joby to Partner for Seamless Home-to-Airport Transportation (October 2022)
• WingTips Orders Five of Ampaire’s Hybrid-Electric Grand Caravan Aircraft, Options for 20 More (August 2022)
• Ampaire to Collaborate with Black & Veatch on Electric Aircraft Infrastructure (June 2022)

Archer has announced its next generation of eVTOL prototypes and the first candidate for production, Midnight. Following on the success and lessons learned from Maker, Midnight is the company’s first production eVTOL prototype and will be unveiled at an open house event on November 16.

Earlier this year Midnight successfully completed its preliminary design review (PDR) and has been selected to move forward into production. The upgraded model is expected to have a useful payload of 1,000+ pounds to support 4 passengers and 1 pilot. The company has stated it is targeting a lightning fast 10 minute charging turnaround time to keep its aircraft in the air longer.

“From day one, Archer’s goal has been to build a commercially viable business that will revolutionize intra-city travel. We’ve made phenomenal progress in the development of our eVTOL aircraft technology and I am excited to share the aircraft that will deliver on that vision as part of our Open House event” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s CEO.

Partners participating in the event will include United Airlines, as well as global automotive manufacturer, Stellantis. Stellantis has been working with Archer since early in their eVTOL aircraft’s development, and are a key partner in Archer’s plans to achieve manufacturing at scale for its aircraft.

“Collaboration has always been a cornerstone of our mission,” said Tom Muniz, Archer’s Chief Operating Officer. “Delivering a safe, sustainable revolution in air travel will take our collective vision and expertise, and I can’t wait to stand alongside the Archer team next month to share how together we are bringing our long-term plans to life.”

Why it’s important: Like many other eVTOL makers, Archer has taken lessons learned from early developmental flight tests and iterated its design into a more mature production candidate. At the November open house event, we expect to find out more about Midnight’s technical and mission capabilities as well as the company’s progress towards certification.

Source: Archer Press Release

Related:

• United Airlines Completes $10M Pre-Payment for 100 Archer eVTOL Aircraft
• Archer, United Airlines Partner on eVTOL Operations