Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. After spending several years in the Pacific Northwest, she has returned to the Knoxville area.

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Hanneke Weitering

To support the development of its nine-passenger hybrid-electric EL9 Ultra Short aircraft, Electra has expanded the facilities at its headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, as well as its research and development center in Bleienbach, Switzerland.&nbsp;Announcing the recent expansions on September 30, the company noted that its workforce has more than doubled in 2025 and that it intends to hire dozens of engineers over the coming year.
Located at Manassas Regional Airport (KHEF) just outside Washington, D.C., Electra has added a new 15,000-sq-ft hangar and 6,000 sq ft of office space to its existing 36,000-sq-ft facility. Meanwhile, the research and development center in Bleienbach has increased its footprint to 2,000 sq ft. At this facility, Electra’s Swiss subsidiary has been <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2022-09-07/electra-completes-test-hybrid-electric-engine-estol-aircraft">testing its hybrid-electric propulsion system</a> using an iron bird.
“Electra is on a mission to transform aviation, and expanding our facilities ensures we can continue attracting the world-class engineering talent to design, develop, and commercialize our groundbreaking EL9,” Electra CEO Marc Allen said in a company statement. “We’re giving our teams the resources they need to get our Ultra Short aircraft into the hands of our customers and deliver on the promise of direct aviation, making regional air travel more convenient, affordable, and sustainable."
The <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-11-14/electra-launches-hybrid-electra-el9-ultra-short">EL9 Ultra Short aircraft</a> uses blown-lift aerodynamics to quietly take off and land on runways as short as 150 feet, enabling operations at small, underserved airports and non-traditional sites such as parking lots and fields. Electra aims to bring the aircraft to market in 2029.
<h2>Electra Flies in ‘Future Flag’ Defense Exercise</h2>
Earlier this month, Electra announced the completion of its participation in the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Future Flag 25-3 test event in Rome, New York. The Future Flag exercise, which took place from August to September, was part of a series of experiments AFRL is conducting with the aim of accelerating the development and demonstration of innovative capabilities such as hybrid-electric propulsion.&nbsp;

During Future Flag 25-3, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2024-11-26/electras-hybrid-electric-stol-demonstrator-flies-pentagon-exercise">Electra’s two-seat EL2 demonstrator aircraft</a> demonstrated the operational capabilities of hybrid-electric, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, as well as the potential military applications for the larger EL9 aircraft that the company intends to certify. Electra conducted the demonstrations in collaboration with the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing. The EL2 also flew alongside the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing and the Connecticut Air National Guard’s 103rd Airlift Wing during one of the operational scenarios.&nbsp;
“Working with our Air National Guard partners, the scenarios we executed are a concrete demonstration of how Ultra-STOL aircraft can augment existing platforms and fill an important gap in existing tactical airlift capabilities," said Donn Yates, Electra’s vice president of government programs.
Electra has previously received <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2023-01-26/us-air-force-provides-more-funding-electras-estol-aircraft">funding from the U.S. Air Force’s Afwerx</a> innovation unit, as well as the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-04-25/us-navy-assesses-electra-estol-aircraft-ship-based-operations">Navy</a> and <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2025-07-01/us-army-tasks-electra-assessing-hybrid-electric-propulsion">Army</a>, for work related to hybrid-electric propulsion and STOL aircraft.&nbsp;
“Future Flag was a prime opportunity to test and evaluate the practical and transformative capabilities developed with the support of AFRL and Afwerx,” Yates said. “From ground-based power to medical transport to forward resupply, our Ultra-STOL aircraft delivers an array of multi-mission applications that our warfighters need. We were thrilled to showcase them with our government partners during Future Flag 25-3.”

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