Textron Enters Electric Aviation Age With Pipistrel Acquisition | Aviation International News

Textron Enters Electric Aviation Age With Pipistrel Acquisition

Textron's Pipistrel subsidiary could catapult the company into the electric aviation age, with drones, hydrogen propulsion, and eVTOL vehicles in the mix.

Pipistrel is developing a hybrid-electric-powered version of its Panthera light aircraft. (Photo: Pipistrel/Textron)

By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor

May 23, 2022

Textron’s plans for the advanced air mobility sector became a lot clearer with last month’s acquisition of European electric aviation pioneer Pipistrel. Now the U.S. group is preparing to expand its portfolio to include ground-breaking products such as the hybrid-electric Panthera light aircraft, the Nuuva family of cargo drones, and, possibly, an eVTOL air taxi vehicle.

“Our top priority is to bring the Panthera to type certification and the Nuuva is probably number two on our list,” Pipistrel’s new president and managing director Gabe Massey told AIN.

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