FutureFlight
Baaz Unveils Plans for a Folding-Wing eVTOL Aircraft with Ducted Propellers
The privately owned German company says that its B5 aircraft can be certified and in commercial service by the end of 2025.
Baaz B5
Baaz's B5 eVTOL features four external ducted propellers and a fifth set installed in the rear fuselage, as well as a folding wing. (Image: Baaz)

German start-up Baaz is working on an all-electric eVTOL aircraft that it says will significantly overtake the range provided by rival designs with the ability to fly up to 200 km (125 miles). The distinctive design for the B5 model features folding wings to give it more flexibility in urban areas, as well as a novel propulsion system built around five ducted propellers.

The company was founded in September 2019 by Hossein Malek Zadeh, a former senior engineer with automotive technology group Siemens-Valeo. It aims to have a prototype ready to fly within two years, as well as an iron bird ground test unit. It anticipates completing type certification, which will initially be under EASA’s Special Condition VTOL CS-23 rules, by the end of 2025.