Heart Aerospace opens US R&D facility, appoints new chief technology officer

Heart Aerospace has opened a new research and development hub in Los Angeles, California. 

The new facility will focus on the advancement of Heart’s hybrid-electric propulsion system and other key technologies. The firm plans to relocate its full-scale demonstrator to the US, where it wants to demonstrate proof of concept of its propulsion system.

To lead the US hub, Heart has appointed Benjamin Stabler (pictured below right) as chief technology officer. Stabler has led hardware and software teams on the Crew Dragon programme at SpaceX, and served as co-founder of Parallel Systems, a developer of automated, battery-electric freight rail vehicles. He will recruit a team for the R&D hub, which will work closely with headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Anders Forslund, co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, said: “The establishment of our US R&D hub signifies our commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in aviation. We are working on a solution we call independent hybrid propulsion, and we aim to demonstrate electric flight during next year. 

“We have an exciting time ahead of us as we enter a new phase of hardware testing, and I’m thrilled that Ben is joining our team. His experience and passion for innovation is just what Heart needs to advance on our mission to decarbonise and democratise air travel.”

Heart remains headquartered in Europe, where it will pursue type certification of the ES-30 in 2028. The aircraft is a regional hybrid-electric airplane with a standard seating capacity of 30 passengers. It will have a fully electric range of 200km and an extended hybrid range of 400km.