Engines
French Funding Backs Ascendance’s Hybrid Propulsion System
Support from France 2030 will help enable series production of propulsion system
Ascendance Atea hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft
The hybrid-electric propulsion system was designed with Ascendance’s VTOL-capable Atea aircraft concept in mind, but will also be applied to smaller uncrewed platforms.

Ascendance has secured €12.2 million ($14.25 million) to develop its proprietary hybrid-electric propulsion system, applicable to drones and its in-development Atea VTOL aircraft. This four-year funding commitment—made available through the France 2030 investment program and announced on April 9— will enable Ascendance to scale its industrial efforts, explained the company.

According to the French start-up, the new government backing will help it to achieve a key milestone in it work to start series production of its Sterna Hybrid Pack propulsion system, including its battery technology. The company said that it also plans to progress plans for aircraft production by establishing a dedicated manufacturing facility for assembly civil and defense models, including the Atea, "in the medium term."

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