The German firm on Monday said it has begun installing a serial production line for the Jet’s electric propulsion units at its manufacturing facility in Wessling, Germany. The company expects the first prototype propulsion systems—which will support for-credit type certification testing with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)—to roll off its production line in the second quarter of 2024.

The production of electric propulsion systems for Lilium’s flagship Jet marks another key milestone in the commercialization of the aircraft, which the company began building in December. It hopes to achieve type certification in 2025 ahead of a global launch in 2026.

Lilium’s propulsion assembly line was designed in partnership with automation and robotics supplier Schnaithmann Maschinenbau GmbH, with which the manufacturer has worked for years to develop production plans. Schnaithmann will also provide workflow design, jogs, and tools for Lilium’s aerostructures assembly and final assembly line.

“The electric jet engine is a unique, core Lilium technology, critical for aircraft performance and for which we have secured not only a team of highly qualified system suppliers but also important intellectual property,” said Jan Nowacki, senior vice president of manufacturing for Lilium. “With the support of Schnaithmann, we look forward to implementing state-of-the-art manufacturing solutions capable of being scaled up and replicated for high-volume production.”

Lilium and Schnaithmann developed initial production plans several years ago in anticipation of this week’s announcement. The manufacturer’s aerostructures assembly line—located in the same building as the newly announced propulsion system assembly line—already uses Schnaithmann equipment to handle the Jet’s wings and canards.

The Wessling site also comprises a testing and manufacturing center, propulsion and aerostructures facility, final assembly building, and battery assembly building and logistics hub.

“With nearly 40 years of experience in supplying automation technology to global industries, we are proud to participate in the industrialization of the Lilium Jet,” said Gerd Maier, member of the Schnaithmann management board. “The eVTOL industry has the potential to change aviation in a positive, sustainable way, and we are delighted to be able to play a key role in helping Lilium scale up towards high-volume production.”

Lilium delivered the first of seven Jet fuselages to Wessling in December. The company will manufacture seven aircraft to use for EASA type certification validation, which it expects will begin late this year.

The manufacturer’s all-electric seven-seater is expected to fly passengers between towns and inner cities, cruising at 162 knots on trips spanning 25 to 125 sm (22 to 109 nm). The firm said the aircraft’s propulsion unit will be key in providing performance, unit economics, and comfort for regional air mobility (RAM) services.

RAM is a subset of advanced air mobility (AAM) that involves connecting cities across a broader region, as Lilium plans to do. It contrasts with the urban air mobility (UAM) approach adopted by many competitors, which intend to concentrate flights within a single city or metropolitan area, such as New York or Los Angeles.

The Lilium Jet propulsion unit consists of electric jet engines (or e-motors) integrated into a propulsion mounting system, which forms the rear part of the aircraft’s wings and front aerofoils. The company said the system will improve payload and aerodynamic efficiency, reduce noise, and provide thrust vector control to maneuver the Jet through all phases of flight.

Several components for the propulsion unit are provided by suppliers such as Honeywell, which is working with partners Denso, Aeronamic, and SKF to deliver e-motors, fans, and electric motor bearings, respectively.

The system powers 36 electric ducted fans embedded in the Jet’s wings. The unique architecture differs from competitors such as Joby Aviation or Archer Aviation, which are using tilt rotors that reorient themselves during the transition between vertical and forward flight.

In 2023, Lilium assembled the first complete electric engine for the Jet on a pre-series line. The engine is designed to deliver what the manufacturer claims is an industry-leading power density of over 100 kilowatts, despite the system weighing just less than 9 pounds.

Crewed flights of the Lilium Jet are expected to begin later this year as the company eyes for-credit testing with EASA. But Lilium is also the only eVTOL manufacturer with certification bases from both EASA and the FAA.

Earlier this month, the company designated Orlando International Airport (KMCO) as a key hub for its RAM service in Florida, which it announced in 2020. Fractional aircraft ownership company NetJets agreed tentatively to purchase 150 Lilium Jets and operate them across the Florida network, which will be supported with maintenance services from Bristow Group. FlightSafety International has agreed to train an initial cohort of Florida eVTOL pilots.

Lilium further announced support for Florida Legislature House Bill 981, which would designate Orlando International Airport as Florida’s official AAM test site. The legislation would also create a pathway for safe, efficient vertiport permitting in the state.

Last week, Lilium placed an order for 120 Star Charge electric aircraft charging systems, intended to juice up its ground and flight test aircraft. The manufacturer will also deliver chargers to customers investing in vertiports, further supporting its RAM ecosystem.

In addition, Lilium last week partnered with private and commercial operator PhilJets—which agreed to purchase 10 aircraft—to explore RAM networks in the Philippines, Cambodia, and across Southeast Asia.

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The four finalists include:

• MagniX for magni650 Electric Propulsion Unit (EPU)
• NASA, University of Arizona, and Lockheed Martin for the OSIRIS-REx Team
• Reliable Robotics for Advanced Autonomous Flight Systems
• U.S. Air Force for the X-62A ACE Team

Amy Spowart, president and CEO of the NAA, emphasized the organization’s commitment to recognizing outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace.

“The Collier Trophy, bestowed since 1911, is the story of aviation innovation and advancement,” Spowart said.

• READ MORE: Webb Space Telescope Team Earns Collier Trophy

The final round of the Collier Trophy selection process is set for March 21 in Washington, D.C. Each finalist will present their nomination, accompanied by visual aids and presentation slides, followed by a Q&A session with the selection committee.

Spowart expressed anticipation to see who will be honored as the 2023 Collier Trophy recipient.

For additional details and a comprehensive list of Collier Trophy honorees, visit the NAA website.

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The manufacturer on Friday revealed that the FAA accepted its propulsion system certification plan, one of several documents that tells the regulator how the company will demonstrate compliance with aviation regulations. According to Joby, all structural, mechanical, and electrical system certification plans for its five-seat air taxi have now been approved.

Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM at Joby, said the certification helps “sets the stage” for the firm to successfully complete for-credit FAA flight evaluations, which it expects to conduct later this year.

“I’m grateful to the incredible Joby team as well as the dedicated personnel at the FAA who continue to work hard to bring safety and innovation together, keeping the United States at the forefront of new aviation technology and capabilities,” said Papadopoulos.

FAA type certification reviews the design, manufacturing, and performance of new aircraft models presented for operation in the U.S., including their propulsion systems. Joby is in the third of five stages in that rigorous process.

The manufacturer designed its own propulsion system, which includes six dual-wound electric motors powered by isolated battery packs. This provides redundancy and eliminates single points of failure. The distributed electric propulsion configuration also reduces emissions and noise—Joby claims the latter is “as quiet as a conversation” during flight. Company presentations indicate a noise level of 45 dBA.

The company said its production prototype aircraft, rolled off the production line in June, delivers “nearly twice the power of the Tesla Model S Plaid, despite being lighter.”

The FAA-accepted propulsion certification plan covers Joby’s electric propulsion unit, propeller system, variable pitch actuation, coolant pump, nacelles, and the associated electrical wiring. It lays out definitive criteria to certify those systems for commercial passenger operations.

According to the manufacturer, all but one of its certification plans have been accepted by the regulator, and the final document is under review. As it nears completion of the third stage of type certification, the company said it has now shifted focus to the fourth phase, which comprises testing and analysis of aircraft systems and components.

In 2023, Joby completed 30 for-credit tests with the FAA, evaluating aircraft components such as flight electronics and structural materials. October marked the beginning of crewed flight testing, a critical milestone in development. The challenge now will be putting everything together for the final FAA evaluations.

Joby this week also obtained FAA Part 145 Repair Station certification, which the company will use initially to perform select maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities on traditional aircraft. The approval further clears the way for expanded MRO services following type certification of its air taxi. Competitor Archer Aviation announced on the same day it had received its Part 145 certificate, as well.

Joby’s zero-emission air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on 100 sm (87 nm) trips at cruise speeds as fast as 200 mph (174 knots), while producing a “fraction” of the noise emitted by helicopters. The company requires type certification before its intended commercial launch in 2025, in partnership with Delta Air Lines.

Unlike most of its competitors, Joby intends to operate its air taxis itself, initially in metro areas such as New York and Los Angeles. The manufacturer recently collaborated with NASA to simulate air taxi traffic around airports, evaluating the integration of operations alongside conventional aircraft. A group of active and retired air traffic controllers was recruited to assist with the simulations.

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This week, European firms announced two collaborations intended to herald the transition from traditional jet fuel to alternative sources, such as hydrogen.

The first, between industry titan Airbus and four Scandinavian firms, aims to study the feasibility of hydrogen infrastructure at airports in Norway and Sweden. The companies claim the study—which covers two countries and more than 50 airports—is the first of its kind.

“Hydrogen stands out as a key enabler as we pioneer a sustainable aviation future,” said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus. “Norway and Sweden are among the most demanding regions for aviation and have great potential for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources.”

Faury added that the company intends to deploy hydrogen ecosystems in “most suitable parts of the world.”

Separately, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS), a U.K.-based hydrogen aircraft developer, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LoganAir, the U.K.’s largest regional airline, to fly hydrogen-electric aircraft between Scotland’s Orkney Islands by 2027. The partners believe the collaboration could deliver the world’s first commercial zero-emissions flights.

Airbus Forms a Hydrogen Herd

Airbus on Wednesday said it will work with Avinor and Swedavia, the flag carriers of Norway and Sweden, respectively, as well as Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which serves the broader region. The companies will be joined by Vattenfall, a Swedish energy and power firm, which will support the partnership with electrical infrastructure and hydrogen production.

“We want to enable industry decarbonization,” said Anna Borg, president and CEO of Vattenfall. “Aviation is a hard-to-abate industry, where breaking away from fossil fuels is a huge challenge today. This cross-border collaboration however demonstrates the willingness to bring about change.”

According to Airport Carbon Accreditation, airport-controlled activities comprise around 2 to 3 percent of all aviation emissions. To reduce that figure, airports will need to move away from traditional aviation fuel and toward sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other renewable alternatives, such as hydrogen.

“If generated from renewable energy through electrolysis, hydrogen emits no CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions, thereby enabling renewable energy to potentially power large aircraft over long distances but without the undesirable by-product of CO2 emissions,” Airbus claims on its website.

Airbus and its partners will study hydrogen aircraft concepts and operations, infrastructure, and refueling at airports to develop a hydrogen ecosystem in Norway and Sweden. The study will also identify which airports are candidates for early transformations and which regulatory frameworks will need to be in place.

“Hydrogen is expected to gradually become an increasing part of the aviation industry’s fuel mix in the future and will therefore have an increasing effect on the infrastructure and planning of our airports,” said Jonas Abrahamsson, president and CEO of Swedavia. “This partnership is a major and important step towards fossil-free aviation in the Nordic region.”

Airbus sees potential for hydrogen to be combusted into fuel to power modified gas turbines or converted to electric power via fuel cells. It could even be used to create synthetic fuels, or e-fuels, which are generated exclusively using renewable sources.

The manufacturer’s goal is to bring a low-carbon commercial aircraft to market by 2035. In 2020, it launched ZEROe: a program to develop aircraft, systems, and an ecosystem for hydrogen aviation. All four aircraft concepts being developed under ZEROe—a turbofan, turboprop, blended-wing body, and fully electric model—are hydrogen powered and designed for 100 to 200 passengers. 

Last week, Airbus tested ZEROe’s “iron pod” hydrogen power system, a key milestone in the program’s progress. And in December, the EcoPulse demonstrator, a joint project between Airbus, Daher, and Safran, made its first hybrid-electric flight.

To build out an ecosystem, Airbus in 2020 introduced “Hydrogen Hub at Airports,” a program that initiated research into infrastructure requirements for low-carbon airport operations. The initiative brings together key industry players and includes airports, airlines, and other partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the U.K.

Electrifying the Islander

As Airbus and Co. collaborate on hydrogen infrastructure, CAeS and LoganAir are eyeing real-world flights.

LoganAir, which aims to be net-zero by 2040, hopes to fly the first operational hydrogen-electric Islander in the Orkney Islands by 2027, following certification in 2026. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial airliners in Europe, used primarily for short-range commercial passenger service.

“The short-haul routes we operate in Orkney and the challenging weather conditions we face make the ideal test bed for hydrogen-electric aircraft, and we are incredibly proud that we could be offering the world’s first commercial zero-emissions flights,” said Peter Simpson, executive chairman of Loganair.

LoganAir is a longtime supporter of CAeS’ Project Fresson: an initiative, partially funded by the U.K. government, to develop hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems for the more than 700 Islanders in operation, supported by Britten-Norman.

This week’s MOU, however, steps up the firms’ collaboration with additional operational requirements and design, standards and regulations, infrastructure development, and stakeholder engagement.

A proposed merger between CAeS and Britten-Norman, announced last year, would form a new company dedicated almost entirely to installing CAeS fuel cells on Islanders. But the firms have since put a pause on the deal.

“Collaborating closely with Loganair, we aim to harness our combined experience and expertise to address the operational and infrastructure considerations, ultimately ensuring the successful deployment of the hydrogen-electric Britten-Norman Islander across Loganair’s lifeline routes within the islands,” said Paul Hutton, CEO of Cranfield Aerospace.

Separately, CAeS is continuing to develop hydrogen fuel cells for a range of crewed and uncrewed aircraft, including cargo aircraft. In October, its fuel cell system order pipeline topped 1,300 with a letter of intent from cargo drone operator Dronamics.

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ZeroAvia, a developer of hydrogen-electric propulsion systems, on Monday announced it completed a $116 million Series C funding round to support certification of its ZA600 engines and the scaling of its technology for larger aircraft.

The round was co-led by previously announced financiers Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, and NEOM Investment Fund, as well as the U.K. Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), which joined as a “cornerstone-level” investor. Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Horizons Ventures, Alaska Airlines, and several others were named as participants.

“This is a great example of the bank supporting a first-of-a-kind technology that has real potential to have a telling impact on carbon emissions and help position the U.K. at the forefront of a developing green hydrogen ecosystem,” said Ian Brown, head of banking and investments at UKIB.

According to ZeroAvia, the bank’s financing will promote the company’s growth plans in the U.K., where it has been predicted that one-quarter of carbon emissions will come from aviation by 2050.

“ZeroAvia has grown rapidly in the U.K. as we have worked to deliver two major historic milestones in aerospace engineering, as we look to preserve the benefits of flight through clean propulsion,” said Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia. “This backing by such a preeminent investor as [UKIB] will help us deliver the first commercial zero-emission flights and help the U.K. realize substantial export potential.”

UKIB, meanwhile, has the opportunity to become a market leader in the country’s quest to eliminate aviation emissions by the 2050 timeframe. Founded in 2021, the bank’s mandate is to back emerging technologies and crowd in private investment while driving regional growth and taking on climate change. It said a successful rollout of hydrogen engines in aviation could catalyze the development of wider hydrogen infrastructure.

“Aviation and hydrogen are sectors that need significant private investment to get to net zero,” said Brown. “By providing confidence to investors, our equity has helped to crowd in the private investment needed for the continued development of this cutting-edge technology and should help stimulate the development and deployment of hydrogen technology across other hard-to-decarbonise sectors.”

ZeroAvia’s latest funding comes three years after a series A investment led by Breakthrough Energy, the Climate Pledge Fund, and other participants in November’s round netted it $21.4 million. It followed that up last year with a Series B from Barclays, Neom, International Airlines Group, and American Airlines, bringing its total raised to $150 million.

The company is starting small: Its ZA600 engine, a 600-kilowatt, hybrid-electric powertrain, will be retrofitted on regional turboprops with nine to 19 seats and a range of 300 sm (260 nm) by the end of 2025. Two years later, the ZA2000, a 2-5 megawatt model, is expected to support aircraft with 40 to 80 seats and a 700 sm (608 nm) range.

So far, ZeroAvia has secured experimental certificates to test its engines with the FAA and the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) using three separate testbed aircraft.

The company has already hit several flight test milestones, most notably using a Dornier 228 equipped with one ZA600 engine and one conventional stock engine. Since completing its maiden voyage in January, the aircraft has gone through a range of tests, including flying at 5,000 feet, weathering a 23-minute endurance test, and operating in just-above-freezing temperatures.

ZeroAvia says it has a number of engineering partnerships with key aircraft OEMs, such as Cessna, Beechcraft, and de Havilland Canada. It claims to have nearly 2,000 preorders from major global airlines, including United Airlines, which in 2021 signed on as an investor and agreed to purchase up to 100 engines.

Simultaneously, the manufacturer is working on several projects. The most recent is a collaboration with Airbus to explore certification for hydrogen-powered systems. The partners also intend to examine liquid hydrogen fuel storage, fuel cell propulsion testing, and the development of hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

Another venture involves Textron, with which ZeroAvia will collaborate to install the ZA600 on a Cessna Grand Caravan turboprop. The company is also working with European airport operator AGS Airports to develop hydrogen fuel infrastructure and zero-emission routes, while a partnership with autonomous cargo aircraft developer Natilus will see it add its engines to the company’s Kona model.

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Royan, France-based VoltAero isn’t most aviation companies. The firm on Thursday announced it completed what it claims is an industry first. This week, it flew a hybrid-electric aircraft powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from partner TotalEnergies Aviation—fuel derived from bioethanol produced from the waste created by French vineyards.

The flight took off from VoltAero’s development facility in Royan, using the company’s Cassio S testbed airplane—a modified Cessna 337 Skymaster—equipped with a proprietary hybrid-electric powertrain. It ran on TotalEnergies’ Excellium Racing 100 fuel, which since 2022 has been used in automobile competitions such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance sports car race.

Compared to the fossil fuel equivalent, VoltAero said the vineyard-derived fuel can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 65 percent over its entire lifecycle and that it will “significantly lower” operating costs. It’s certified as a 100 percent sustainable product according to a mass balance system applied by a voluntary, European Union-approved certification body.

“Based on initial results, we calculated a truly impressive CO2 reduction of approximately 80 percent while operating the Cassio powertrain in its electric-hybrid mode and with the internal combustion engine fueled by TotalEnergies’ Excellium Racing 100,” said Jean Botti, CEO and chief technology officer of VoltAero. “It underscores the opportunity for production Cassio aircraft to represent a major step closer to aviation’s decarbonization goals by replacing standard Avgas 100 high-octane fuel for aviation piston engines.”

The company added that its goal was to validate its powertrain with SAF, “thereby derisking airworthiness certification” for Cassio aircraft in development. It’s been testing hybrid-electric aircraft for years, starting in 2020 with the Cassio 1 testbed, which made two crossings of the English Channel the following year.

“This demonstration flight is part of our commitment to support players in the aviation sector for their decarbonization objectives,” said Joël Navaron, president of TotalEnergies. “More broadly, it demonstrates our desire to continue our research and development efforts to offer an alternative to aviation gasoline containing lead, thereby meeting the challenges of general aviation’s decarbonization.”

VoltAero was originally part of Airbus’s E-Fan project, which ran from 2014 to 2017. Botti previously served as CTO of Airbus and led the program’s research. But he asserted in a 2020 Q&A that on Cassio designs “there’s nothing carried over from the E-Fan apart from the knowledge gained from the years of working on E-Fan.”

Designed with a modular fuselage that can be reconfigured for a variety of use cases, VoltAero’s Cassio models are expected to be flown by regional commercial operations, air taxi and air charter companies, and private owners. They’ll also be used for utility services such as cargo or postal delivery and medical evacuations.

How It’s Made

The company’s first production aircraft is the Cassio 330. It will be flown by a single pilot with space for four or five passengers and rely on 330 kilowatts of hybrid-electric propulsion power. VoltAero pulled back the curtain on the first Cassio 330 prototype at the Paris Air Show in June, and the firm expects to fly it for the first time this year.

At the tail end of Cassio 330 flight testing, the company will roll out a second prototype, which is expected to take off in the second quarter of 2024. The upcoming model will feature an avionics suite from Avidyne, including its Quantum 14-inch displays for single-pilot operations and advanced connectivity.

The 330 will eventually be joined by the Cassio 480, a six-seat version with 480 kilowatts of propulsion power. Further out is the Cassio 600, an even larger design for 10 to 12 passengers with—you guessed it—600 kilowatts of power. Both designs will be larger than the 330 and feature retractable landing gear.

All three models are expected to be built around an aluminum airframe, with a forward fixed canard and aft-set wings with twin booms to support the aircraft’s high-set horizontal tail. They’ll use electric motors in the aft fuselage-mounted hybrid propulsion unit to deliver fully electric power during taxi, takeoff, landing, and primary flight—so long as that distance is less than 93 sm (81 nm).

The Cassio family’s propulsion power unit is made by combining a 4-cylinder Kawasaki Motors thermal engine and a Safran ENGINeUS smart electric motor, with peak power ratings of 165 kilowatts and 180 kilowatts, respectively. It combines 300-kilowatt internal combustion engine power with a trio of 60-kilowatt electric motors for a total output of 480 kilowatts. French company Akira Technologies will lead the integration and validation of the unit.

Like other hybrid designs, the propulsion system’s hybrid feature will use the internal combustion engine as a range extender. The module will recharge the aircraft’s batteries during flight, and it can serve as a backup in case of an issue on the electric propulsion side. 

In full hybrid mode, Cassio 330 is expected to reduce emissions by 20 percent versus comparable aircraft. That jumps to 100 percent in full electric mode. Notably, the power requirement for ground charging VoltAero’s initial design is only 380 volts, which the company said is available at most airports.

Cassio 330 will have a flight duration of three and a half hours (which could rise to five with the range extender), a range of 800 sm (695 nm) and a cruise speed of 200 knots. It’ll be able to take off and land with less than 1,800 feet of runway. And with its 2.5 metric ton maximum takeoff weight, the aircraft is classified as a CS-23 normal-category airplane under European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations.

The first Cassio 330 models will be assembled at VoltAero’s “purpose built” facility at Rochefort Charente-Maritime Airport (LFDN) in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

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Heart Aerospace, a Swedish manufacturer of regional electric aircraft, on Monday announced it has tapped aerospace titan Honeywell to install its compact fly-by-wire flight control system on the company’s 30-passenger ES-30. 

The system is already in an advanced stage of development on multiple aircraft, including Vertical Aerospace’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Honeywell’s dedicated urban air mobility (UAM) business unit is also partnered with eVTOL makers Archer Aviation, Lilium, Hyundai’s Supernal, and other emerging aircraft manufacturers. Heart’s design, in contrast, takes off conventionally from a runway.

“We are thrilled to welcome Honeywell to the ES-30 program,” said Anders Forslund, co-founder and CEO of Heart. “With its long track record in flight controls, they are an ideal collaboration partner for Heart Aerospace as we strive to decarbonize air travel before the end of this decade.”

Added Vipul Gupta, president of electronic solutions at Honeywell Aerospace: “Honeywell’s flight controls provide the ideal solution for Heart’s mission to revitalize and electrify the regional transport market. Honeywell’s all-electric compact fly-by-wire is a ready-now solution based on decades of flight control experience in all aircraft types, and that reduces development time and risk for Heart.”

Heart’s ES-30 has a 30-passenger standard seating capacity and is driven by four electric motors powered by batteries. In its fully electric, zero-emissions configuration, it has a range of about 124 sm (108 nm), doubling to around 248 sm (215 nm) in hybrid-electric mode. The aircraft also has a maximum range of 497 sm (432 nm) with 25 passengers. Each configuration includes typical airline reserves.

The electric design features a Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck, battery systems from BAE Systems, and an electrical power distribution system made by Crane Aerospace & Electronics. It’ll be certificated under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) CS-25 large aeroplanes category.

Heart is backed by a $35 million Series A funding round led by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a consortium of billionaire backers including Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg, and other CEOs, venture capitalists, and politicians.

The round also included United Airlines Ventures, the airline’s investment arm, and Mesa Air Group, which together placed purchase orders for 200 ES-19 aircraft with the option for 100 more. The ES-19 was a 19-passenger that was replaced by the ES-30 in 2022, but Heart reconfirmed United and Mesa’s orders for the new design.

Air Canada and Saab—each of which invested $5 million into the company—are on board as minority shareholders, and the former also placed an order for 30 ES-30s. Heart said it now has 250 firm ES-30 orders with options and purchase rights awarded for 120 more. 

The aircraft is expected to enter service in 2028, around the time the FAA seeks to host advanced air mobility (AAM) demonstrations in the skies over Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games. Archer, whose aircraft uses Honeywell flight control actuation technology, is expected to feature.

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However, this fan, which comes from German propulsion developer Schubeler Technologies, is of the electric ducted variety. The eP05-21, unveiled Tuesday, is the company’s latest product. But unlike the rest of its catalog, which is primarily geared toward the sport and hobbyist industries, the new design is built for the AAM industry.

According to Schubeler, the eP05-21 is “designed specifically to power both manned and unmanned eVTOL aircrafts.” The fan is the first in a new line of aerospace-specific products under the banner Schubeler Aero. High static thrust fans, motors, propellers, and compressor drives are also listed as Aero offerings on the company’s website.

“It’s tested and proven technology. We’ve completed intense wind tunnel testing in July as well as successful integration in actual eVTOL aircraft,” said Daniel Schubeler, the firm’s founder and chief technology officer.

Already, Schubeler Aero counts major eVTOL manufacturers Lilium and Volocopter, both based in Germany, as customers. In May, the former equipped its aircraft with Schubeler fans for wind tunnel testing.

The firm is also working with AAM companies Bellwether and Tupan as well as Airbus, which is developing the CityAirbus eVTOL, and Boeing, which owns eVTOL air taxi operator Wisk Aero. General Atomics, a manufacturer of unmanned aircraft for defense, is listed as another customer.

With a diameter just more than 20 inches and a weight of 18.2 pounds, the eP05-21 is built for larger AAM aircraft. It uses a 21-kilowatt DC power input to produce 680 newtons of static thrust—that means it can accelerate an object with a mass of 680 kilograms by 1 meter per second squared. It achieves between 4,900 and 5,700 revolutions per minute.

The fan’s sub-60-volt architecture makes it a low voltage option that the company says is primed to be integrated into eVTOL aircraft. It operates within a flight speed range between 0 and 148 feet per second.

The eP05-21 is designed to be certificated under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) SC E-19 framework for electric and hybrid propulsion systems as well as the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics’ DO-160G category for testing airborne equipment.

Known as a manufacturer of electric propulsion systems since 1997, Schubeler actually got its start building electric, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer axial fans for the sport and hobby sectors. However, in 2021 it was approached by a large AAM customer to create the electric propulsion systems for its eVTOL demonstrator.

Shortly after, the company began developing its first aero electric ducted fan, which it now hopes to integrate into a growing number of eVTOL aircraft designs.

Other firms, such as Honeywell and Nidec Aerospace, also design and build systems to be installed on other companies’ AAM aircraft. But Schubeler isn’t the only one hoping to sell fans.

Another company, Whisper Aero, is also developing electric ducted fans for eVTOL and electric aircraft. The firm’s “ultraquiet” design combines low propeller tip speed with an ultrasonic blade passage frequency—inaudible to the human ear—to reduce noise to, well, a whisper. It claims to be able to do so while also delivering 20 percent greater efficiency compared to other ducted fans.

For what it’s worth, Schubeler’s eP05-21 is expected to produce 61 dBA of noise at a distance close to 400 feet during flyby. That’s about the same volume as a conversation between the folks sitting one table over from you at a restaurant.

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Eve Air Mobility, the urban air mobility (UAM) subsidiary of aerospace titan Embraer, last week announced the site of its first eVTOL production facility. Located in the Brazilian city of Taubaté near São Paulo, the manufacturing plant will be built on a parcel of land already owned by Embraer, pending a signoff from local authorities.

“When we began our search for a manufacturing location to build our eVTOL, we wanted to reimagine how the aircraft could be built using the latest technology and manufacturing processes, coupled with other aspects such as supply chain and logistics,” said Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve. “The team was tasked with the opportunity to design an optimized assembly line that prioritizes safety, quality, efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.”

The announcement follows Eve’s May 2022 partnership with Porsche Consulting to develop an eVTOL global manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics macro strategy. Since then, the companies have collaborated on research of advanced manufacturing and innovation concepts. They’ve also worked on a concept of industrialization for eVTOL, with safety at the forefront.

“This decision is aligned with our growth strategy plan, which is driven by innovation and sustainability,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, president and CEO of Embraer. “We believe in the enormous potential of the global UAM market, and we reinforce our commitment to Eve as one of the major players in this industry.”

Eve was born in 2017 as a project of EmbraerX, a market accelerator within the aviation giant. In 2019, Embraer would unveil its first eVTOL concept, and Eve would become the accelerator’s inaugural graduate the following year.

The company’s 100 percent electric aircraft is expected to have a 60 sm (52 nm) range, powered by eight vertical lift rotors and fixed wings for cruise flight. Unlike Joby or Archer’s designs, the rotors do not change position during flight. 

Eve claims its design will deliver a 90 percent lower noise footprint than equivalent helicopters. It also promises to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 90 percent compared to cars.

At launch, the aircraft will carry four passengers and be flown by a pilot. But in the future Eve plans to switch to autonomous flight, which would expand capacity to six passengers.

Eve is developing more than just an eVTOL. The company is also building an urban air traffic management (ATM) system and plans to offer services such as maintenance and training along with operational solutions such as flight operations manuals and network integration.

As of June, Eve had an order backlog of 2,770 aircraft, one of the largest among eVTOL manufacturers. It has plans to offer UAM services on six different continents, with agreements to fly in Brazil, Latin America, France, Scandinavia, India, Kenya, Dubai, Australia, and the Asia-Pacific region.

The company also has an agreement to launch operations in San Francisco with United Airlines, which is a key investor. And in partnership with Blade Air Mobility, it expects to add services in southern Florida in the coming years.

Eve completed its first urban ATM prototype—which will support the integrated operation of UAM aircraft in low-level airspace—in May. It signed a letter of intent to launch initial urban ATM services with Halo Aviation and has agreements with Ferrovial Vertiports, Bluenest, and Skyway Technologies to explore integrations with the system. Another partnership with Volatus Infrastructure will support vertiport automation.

Beyond those collaborations, Eve also named a trio of eVTOL suppliers in May. Nidec Aerospace LLC will provide electric propulsion, BAE Systems will supply energy storage, and DUC Hélice Propellers will deliver rotors and propellers.

With all of these moving pieces, Eve expects to begin assembly of its first full-scale eVTOL prototype—a milestone just reached by Joby and Archer—before the end of the year. If that goes according to plan, the company will begin a test campaign in 2024 followed by entry into service in 2026.

The post Embraer, Eve Air Mobility Announce First eVTOL Production Plant appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Whisper on Monday held a ceremony to introduce its new flight test center in Crossville, an 8,000-square-foot hangar backed by a $1.2 million appropriation from the state of Tennessee. Construction on the facility, co-located at Crossville Memorial Airport (KCSV), is expected to begin later this year and be completed by early next year.

“Crossville Memorial Airport—it’s not just an airport,” said Ian Villa, co-founder and COO of Whisper. “This is really where we started a lot of the testing for our technology. It’s where we were actually able to integrate this in that hanger right there. And so this is a very special spot for us.”

The new center will include high bay areas to test and integrate Whisper’s propulsion system on future aircraft, as well as dedicated office space for on-site engineering. In addition, Whisper, the airport, and the city of Crossville are working to install high-power chargers at the hangar. 

Once complete, the facility will add to Whisper’s 8,000-square-foot Nashville campus and its 40,000-square-foot manufacturing and ground center in Crossville.

Whisper, co-founded by Villa and CEO Mark Moore, has lofty ambitions but brings plenty of aerospace expertise to the table.

Moore previously spent 32 years with NASA, where he worked on advanced aircraft concepts and technology. He spent about a decade pioneering distributed electric propulsion systems, which are commonly used by electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to achieve lift. Moore even led the NASA team that developed the all-electric X-57, which completed the agency’s first crewed X-plane flight in more than two decades.

In 2017, Moore would leave NASA to co-found Uber Elevate, the rideshare company’s aviation division that was later acquired by eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation. There, he met Villa, and the two helped design the drone systems that completed the first beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights for Uber Eats, delivering a McDonald’s order in San Diego.

Villa would eventually become Elevate’s head of strategy. Before that, he spent time at Northrop Grumman designing propulsion systems for both manned and unmanned aircraft.

Not long after Joby bought Elevate, Moore and Villa would found Whisper. Just eight months later, the fledgling firm had designed, built, and flown the first demonstrator drone equipped with its eQ160 propulsor.

How It Works

But Whisper is looking far beyond drones. The company aims to install its ultraquiet system on aircraft from eVTOL to small jets, with a focus on regional air mobility flights. It’s also eyeing defense applications, claiming it can make military drones 100 times quieter.

So how exactly does Whisper accomplish this without sacrificing efficiency? The answer lies in some clever engineering .

The startup’s propulsion system relies on electric ducted fans, which are not exactly a novel technology—eVTOL manufacturers like Lilium and Volocopter use them too. But the architecture of Whisper’s fans enables high blade count and low tip speed, a combination that reduces noise without hampering performance.

The high blade count is achieved through numerous thin, swept blades affixed to an outer rim. In most electric ducted fans, there is a gap between those blades and the outer rim, which contributes to noise. 

The blades are also shorter than a typical fan’s, which keeps tip speed low even at high rotational speeds. Some companies attempt to reduce tip speed by slowing the rotation of the rotor, but that often results in reduced efficiency.

When the blades rotate at a high enough speed, their blade passage frequency—which measures the frequency with which a blade passes a fixed point—enters the ultrasonic range. Tones in that range are barely perceptible to the human ear, keeping noise to a minimum.

After nabbing a $32 million Series A raise in April, Whisper in June unveiled its Whisper Jet concept for ultraquiet regional transport. Designed to carry nine passengers and a pilot on trips up to 500 sm (434 nm), the aircraft features 22 ducted fans and a hybrid electric powertrain. Whisper has tested the concept using a 55-pound drone, which it says is inaudible at 200 feet in altitude.

At present, Whisper has no plans to produce the aircraft itself. Rather, the design is meant to demonstrate what its propulsion system could look like on a small jet, which it hopes will entice potential buyers.

The startup’s likely competitors include eVTOL manufacturers like Joby, Lilium, and Archer Aviation, as well as urban air mobility providers like Blade Air Mobility and Jaunt Air Mobility. Those companies offer short-hop flights powered by quiet, electric aircraft, the same result Whisper hopes to achieve with its systems.

That market is still developing, but Whisper could gain an advantage by focusing on conventional jets and aircraft in the early going.

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