![]() Brandon Robinson, Horizon’s CEO, noted that their patented technology is unique amongst others in the VTOL space. Horizon Aircraft targeted regional air mobility and journeys of 200+ miles in developing its initial concept. Phase 3 of the challenge will enable development of a full-scale technical demonstrator that could replace the Air Force’s CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which has a maximum speed of 280 knots, or about 519 km/h. The HSVTOL Challenge was created to develop an aircraft capable of flying 400 knots (740 km/h) and conducting missions such as personnel extraction and aeromedical evacuation. Reid Melville, Chief Innovation Officer at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Transformational Capabilities Office, remarked, “The HSVTOL Concept Challenge has surfaced an impressive range and caliber of solutions to help us understand how to build a new class of air vehicles.”Īs revealed last week, one of the 11 recipients-Horizon Aircraft-has successfully completed Phase 1 of the challenge as it continues to develop its Cavorite X-series VTOL aircraft. Some of the other recipients of a Phase 1 contract award were Whisper, Jetoptera, Continuum Dynamics, VerdeGo Aero, Valkyrie, Transcend Air, American Aerospace Engineering, and Jaunt Air Mobility.ĭr. Bell, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., partnered with NASA earlier this year to demonstrate detect-and-avoid capabilities of its unmanned Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) aircraft. Bell Textron is one of the companies selected for the Phase 1 contract. Phase 1 began in January 2022 and concluded at the end of June. The AFWERX challenge accepted submissions from more than 200 companies that designed high-speed VTOL (HSVTOL) concepts.Įleven companies were chosen by AFWERX for a Phase 1 contract award and received financial aid. Air Force’s AFWERX program initiated a market research program last year to encourage development of a high-speed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The weight of batteries used for the Horizon Cavorite X5 is only 200kg, providing it with a range of 500km with a hybrid-electric power system. Some high-profile eVTOLS are using batteries that weigh 600kg or more, and have a range of between 100km and 200km.The U.S. ![]() The batteries used by some eVTOL aircraft will make this impossible to achieve.” He continued, “eVTOL aircraft with heavy batteries or ones that take too long to recharge will have access to fewer vertiports and vertistops.”Īnd added, “eVTOLs need to be safe, affordable, and have an operational cost structure that makes them economically viable. One of the biggest operational barriers to deploying a VTOL fleet in cities is finding sufficient locations to place landing pads, and the facilities needed to recharge and service aircraft.” However, these lighter batteries can be “damaged easily, increasing the rate at which they need to be replaced, which will increase costs.“īrandon Robinson, CEO and Co-Founder of Horizon Aircraft commented, “The type of batteries used by eVTOL aircraft will also impact what vertiports and vertistops they can use. ![]() Previous UAMN Articles on Horizon Aircraft:įurthermore, the lifecycle of many batteries being used “is also too short”, where many prototypes currently under development must use advanced, high energy density variants. The company warns that “some of the batteries employed are simply too heavy for long-range commutes, and their charging times too slow to support the number of flights required.” Horizon, “the world’s first eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) that can fly the majority of its mission exactly like a normal aircraft,” says the current battery technology being used by some eVTOL aircraft could make them commercially unviable. Horizon Aircraft, an aerospace engineering company that has developed the Cavorite X5, pointed out this week in a press release, that the correct choice of battery for an eVTOL aircraft is vital for the future of the nascent but burgeoning industry. ![]()
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