Electra.aero unveils design of production aircraft
Electra.aero has provided a first look at the design of its ultra short hybrid-electric production aircraft, aka EL9.
The design was unveiled at an event hosted today at Electra’s headquarters in Manassas, Virginia. The nine-passenger piloted aircraft is now in the development phase, according to Electra, backed by over a year of flight testing of its EL2 Goldfinch two-seat prototype.
“Today’s reveal of the EL9 showcases the dedication of our incredible team and partners,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “This aircraft is more than a new design – it’s the gateway to a cleaner, quieter, and more affordable future for regional travel. With the EL9, we’re not just making sustainable aviation a reality, we’re redefining how people and cargo move through direct aviation, a new category of safe and seamless travel that brings air mobility closer to where we live, work and play.”
The EL9 will use four independent battery packs and a small turbine-powered generator that drives eight electric motors distributed along the wing to provide high lift at low airspeeds. The aircraft will be able to take off and land in as short as 150ft, and cruise at 175 knots.
The EL9 will be capable of carrying nine passengers with baggage or 3,000lbs of cargo for 330nm. It will have a maximum ferry range of 1,100nm with IFR reserves. It will be certified for IFR and flight into known icing conditions. While the EL9 will be equipped with two pilot crew stations, Electra’s fly-by-wire technology will enable single pilot landings.
Electra said it has over 2,100 orders for the EL9 from 52 operators worldwide, representing more than $8bn in market value. The first test flights are planned for 2027, with certification and service entry anticipated in 2029 under FAA Part 23 regulations.
NASA AACES contract
Earlier this week, NASA awarded Electra a contract to develop technology for a commercial airliner concept under the Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050 initiative. The first of phase of which is set to last around 18 months.
The focus of AACES is to develop technologies and aircraft concepts that reduce carbon emissions from commercial aircraft. Electra has a focus on flight physics and integration of the propulsion system.
The firm will be supported by a team that includes American Airlines as the voice of the customer, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies with a focus on hybrid propulsion and flight controls, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works which will be responsible for large aircraft manufacturing and dual-use advisory, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment with a focus on future scenarios, sustainability and flight physics and the University of Michigan Department of Aerospace Engineering which specialises in aircraft optimisation.
The team will be led by Dr. Alejandra Uranga, Electra’s chief engineer for Research and Future Concepts. Uranga serves on the University of Southern California’s Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department faculty and previously co-led a NASA N+3 programme while a research engineer at MIT.
“Being selected by NASA for AACES is an important achievement for Electra,” said Uranga. “It validates our unique concepts and their potential scalability. We are honoured with this opportunity from NASA to step up to the major leagues and help build a sustainable future for air transportation.”
Asked how learnings from the AACES initiative will feed back into Electra’s in-house programme, a company spokesperson told Revolution.Aero: “The AACES programme will be helping to identify the value of the various technologies and establishing a roadmap of technology targets that enable these larger systems. The EL9 will bring many of these initial technologies through certification in Part-23 while the AACES work will continue to improve technology [for example, battery energy density] that will be incorporated into future iterations of the EL9 product.”
