Aircraft
Aura Aero Targets Defense Sector As Civil Aircraft Progress
‘New Aura M’ business unit supports dual-role development of regional aircraft
Aura Aero staff standing adjacent to model aircraft
A militarised version of the 19-seat Era (shown left) will use the same carbon fibre wing and fly-by-wire controls, bridging development costs while providing dual-use capabilities.

Aura Aero has launched a military business unit, Aura M, which the French start-up believes will expand use cases for its electric and hybrid-electric aircraft. The company is working on a dual-use version of its ERA hybrid-electric regional aircraft and it is also working on the Enbata medium-altitude, long-endurance drone, set to make its first flight later this year.

Plans for Aura M were first aired at the February 2025 International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, during which a militarized concept for Aura Aero’s 19-seat ERA  was unveiled under the name Intruder. At the time, Aura Aero CEO and co-founder Jérémy Caussade suggested the aircraft could potentially operate in an uncrewed configuration, fulfilling roles such as airborne command and control or cargo transportation.

In this article