Having completed more than 100 untethered flight tests with the first full-scale prototype of its five-seat Vertiia eVTOL aircraft, Australian start-up AMSL Aero has shifted its focus toward building a second prototype that will demonstrate the company’s hydrogen-electric powertrain. The company aims to roll out the new prototype and resume flight testing by the end of this year, AMSL commercial director Rick Wong told AIN.
In addition to the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, the second full-scale Vertiia prototype will add a fully functional tiltrotor system that will enable AMSL to achieve its first transition flights—transitioning from vertical lift to wingborne cruise flight as the propellers rotate from an upward to a forward-facing orientation. The earlier prototype, which used a purely battery-electric powertrain, was the first full-scale eVTOL aircraft designed, built, and flown in Australia, according to AMSL. That aircraft made its first tethered hover flights in early 2023 and began untethered flight tests in November 2024.
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