Backed by a significant undisclosed investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures that was announced in January, Electra has been stepping up ground testing of the 150-kW hybrid-electric propulsion system it is developing. The system is for a subscale, two-seat eSTOL technology demonstrator that Electra plans to start flight testing before the end of 2022. The Virginia-based start-up says the production aircraft it aims to bring to market in 2026 is larger than the concept it proposed in 2020, with the changes having been prompted by discussions with provisional launch customers that collectively have signed letters of intent (LOIs) calling for deliveries of almost 300 aircraft.
Early commitments for the blown-lift eSTOL model that is now expected to carry up to nine passengers or 1,800 pounds of freight on sectors of up to around 500 miles have come from companies including helicopter operations group Bristow and charter flight booking platforms Yugo, Flapper, and Flyv. Acknowledging the contingent nature of most announced sales in the advanced air mobility sector, Electra founder and CEO John Langford told FutureFlight that at this stage it is the constructive input on the product concept that is the most valuable contribution to a new program. “There are no financial ties but what matters is that these LOIs make both sides think about how these aircraft can be used in practice, and that drives [understanding of] a lot of user requirements,” he explained.
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