The eVTOL segment might be starting to feel a bit crowded, but that’s not stopping Airbus from testing new designs!
The Silicon Valley-based A3 by Airbus advanced technology subsidiary and Airbus Helicopters are both working to launch Airbus into the eVTOL market with different technology demonstrations.
A3 has been flight-testing a single-seater dubbed the Vahana, while Helicopters has been working on a four-seat CityAirbus craft. The Vahana performed its final test flight last month, after having flown a total of 560 miles during the test campaign, with its longest flight going just over 31 miles.
The CityAirbus began test flights back in 2019, and it achieved its first automatic takeoff, flight stabilization, and landing in mid-2020. In late 2021, Airbus announced the CityAirbus NextGen aircraft as a fixed-wing aircraft with eight sets of electric motors and propellers. The engineering team aims to have a prototype first flight in 2023, with the goal of certification in 2025.
The company has already started its move into cities, with Airbus and ITA Airways agreeing to collaborate on urban air mobility in Italy, and then beginning an air mobility initiative in Ingolstadt, Germany. In fact, there will be a dedicated test center for CityAirbus NextGen in southern Germany that should be completed by Q1 of 2023.
CityAirbus NextGen Urban Air Concept
SOURCE | IMAGES: CITYAIRBUS, VIA FUTURE FLIGHT.
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