Electra conducts demo flights for US Military
September 25, 2024
Hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft developer Electra has conducted flight demonstrations for military stakeholders, highlighting the use capabilities of its Ultra Short prototype for logistics operations in austere environments.
The demonstrations (held at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico and Felker Army Airfield at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia) “mark a significant milestone for Electra as we show the capabilities of the technology in the real world,” explained Electra vice president and general manager JP Stewart. “We’re excited to collaborate with our government partners to develop a new level of capability and operational energy efficiency that aligns with the future of defence logistics and mobility”.
The fixed-wing, hybrid-electric demonstrator aircraft combines Electra’s patented blown-lift technology with distributed electric propulsion to take off and land in spaces as small as a football field, capable of carrying up to 2,500lbs of cargo up to 500 miles (with a 45 minute reserve). A nine-passenger piloted production variant (scheduled to enter commercial service in 2028) is being developed under an active STRAFTI contract with AFWERX, the innovation arm of the US Air Force (a venture supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory).
The recent military demonstration flights included takeoff and landings from grass fields, with low-level handling elements displaying the aircraft’s manoeuvrability. A mobile power generation system (offering over 600 kW of continuous power) also highlighted the aircraft’s use as “a versatile asset for a variety of military missions, from tactical insertions to medical evacuation”.
AFWERX Agility Prime acting branch chief Jacob Wilson reaffirmed AFWERX’s commitment to supporting the “accelerated development” of the technology, citing the aircraft’s efficient, quiet and sustainable operations as compatible with Agile Combat Employment (ACE) missions “in austere locations with compromised or nonexistent runways”.
Electra estimates its platform will make it possible to operate from such locations only previously reachable by helicopters, but with 70% lower costs and far quieter operations (around 75 dB at takeoff). The company states that ships and barges could also represent realistic operating environments for its aircraft, which continues to expand its flight test envelope.
