Engines
Safran's EngineUs Engines Will Power Atea eVTOL Aircraft
EASA recently type certified the 100 kilowatt electric motors
Ascendance Atea hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft
Ascendance's Atea hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft has two propellers for cruise flight and eight ducted fans for vertical lift.

Hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft developer Ascendance has selected Safran Electrical & Power’s EngineUS electric motor to power its Atea prototype. A pair of EngineUS electric motors will provide more than 100 kilowatts to drive Atea’s two horizontal propellers during cruise flight as part of the French start-up's Sterna propulsion architecture, which also includes eight ducted fans for vertical flight.

Ascendance has started ground testing at its facilities in Muret, France, where it is integrating the EngineUS into the Atea hybrid-electric propulsion system. The company will also validate the performance of the Safran motor system and test integration of new technologies at the Muret facility as it works towards a first flight for the Atea in 2026 and type certification in 2029.