Avionics Digital Edition

The Benefits of eVTOL Aircraft for Military Applications

Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are being explored by the U.S. Armed Forces for a variety of potential uses. These aircraft take off and land vertically, like helicopters, and the use of electric motors makes them quieter and more environmentally friendly. Many eVTOLs may also be more energy efficient than traditional helicopters or small aircraft.

These aircraft can be used for a wide range of military applications, including reconnaissance, transportation, and logistics. Additionally, the high-speed and long-range capabilities of some eVTOL designs make them suitable for rapid deployment of troops and equipment in remote or difficult-to-access locations. There are also potential applications in search-and-rescue missions as well as medical evacuations. As the technology develops, it could become an important asset for the military in a variety of roles.

The Air Force launched its Agility Prime program in May 2020 to accelerate eVTOL technology. Numerous companies have joined the program, and some have achieved military airworthiness for their aircraft. The first USAF remotely piloted eVTOL flight was conducted towards the end of 2021 with Kittyhawk’s Heaviside aircraft.

BETA

In February 2022, Detachment 62 of the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC) started a research program to define training requirements for piloting electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The AETC used eVTOL simulators provided by Joby Aviation and BETA Technologies.

Then, in March, two Air Force pilots became the first Airmen to fly an electric aircraft with military airworthiness approval. This achievement followed two years of collaboration between the Agility Prime program and BETA to advance the ALIA eVTOL aircraft. In November 2022, two Airmen remotely piloted the HEXA eVTOL, designed by LIFT Aircraft.

BETA is a partner of both the AFWERX Agility Prime program and the U.S. Air Force. “We reached a few significant milestones with these partners, including conducting qualitative evaluation flight demos of our electric aircraft for military use cases,” shared a company spokesperson in a statement to Avionics International.

BETA

BETA’s representative underscored the significance of the milestone achieved with Agility Prime in March 2022. The test pilots “received a rigorous ground school academics course taught by the subject matter experts who built each system on our aircraft; completed simulation training and flight test rehearsals in our onsite simulator; and flew full-pattern demos in our ALIA aircraft.”

The spokesperson added that the team completed the same exercise with a test pilot from the Army in July.

“These flights were important steps in our partnerships. It marked the first time an airman from either branch flew an electric aircraft, and signifies the military’s readiness to procure and integrate electric aircraft into its fleet,” shared BETA’s representative. They explained, “We were gratified by USAF and Army’s confidence in our engineering to actually pilot our aircraft, as the hands-on nature of these flights was crucial for each branch to determine the handling qualities and use cases our ALIA could serve in operation.”

eVTOL aircraft offer many advantages for military applications when compared with conventional aircraft and helicopters. These include a low sound profile and runway independence, according to the spokesperson from BETA Technologies. They added that eVTOL aircraft are a versatile solution that could apply to a variety of different use cases across numerous defense contexts.

“The military has made a strong commitment to sustainability, and the electric, net-zero nature of these aircraft provides a clear path to reach those commitments,” the company’s representative stated. “In addition, between the relatively low cost of energy, the simple design of an aircraft like ALIA with its few moving parts, and its ability to supplant ground vehicles in austere environments, this aircraft is more cost-effective to deploy and maintain.”

The ALIA aircraft is currently being assessed by the military for its ability to carry out critical resupply, disaster relief, strategic VIP transport, and other mission sets. BETA’s eVTOL—and other models—may reduce or eliminate the need for costly rotorcraft and large-scale cargo haulers that complete these kinds of missions today.

“We will continue to partner with USAF and the Army through AFWERX’s Agility Prime program in 2023 and, following last year’s qualitative evaluation flights and a number of trips to our Burlington headquarters, we are in regular conversation with both organizations about how our aircraft could integrate into their fleet,” shared the representative from BETA.

Another leading eVTOL developer, Joby, has been a part of the Agility Prime program since its inception. This gives the company access to critical government test facilities and provides funding to further demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of its eVTOL aircraft.

Joby

“The partnership provides valuable support for ongoing development efforts and allows Joby’s partners to see first-hand the potential for this aircraft in their future concept of operations,” a representative from Joby shared in a statement to Avionics International.

Joby announced that its existing contract with the Agility Prime program was expanded last year, which increased the potential value of the contract by more than $45 million. “Building on more than five years of engagement with defense agencies, the expanded contract leverages Joby’s years of research and technology development and will include new testing to evaluate Joby’s advanced technologies. It brings the potential value of the total contract to more than $75 million,” the company’s representative explained.

Joby

“Our contract also widened the Company’s defense partnerships to include the U.S. Marine Corps, which is participating in government-directed flight tests and use case exploration.”

“There are a great number of logistical opportunities for electric aircraft—which have zero operating emissions and the potential to increase speed and efficiency of maintenance actions, while offering significant improvements in cost, reliability, and acoustics. eVTOL aircraft like ours are also able to take off immediately rather than requiring minutes to spin up prior to take off,” Joby’s spokesperson stated.

They also noted that eVTOL aircraft offer value for numerous potential public sector use cases such as resupply, relocation of personnel, and emergency medical response applications.

Joby

LIFT Aircraft’s team has conducted flight testing of its eVTOL concept with the USAF’s support since 2020 through a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. A Phase 3 contract was awarded last spring which supports a rigorous flight testing program for LIFT’s HEXA aircraft and continued development of use cases. The team at LIFT completed flight testing of its Service Level A beginner flight envelope through its partnership with the Air Force last year.