But Can We Put Guns on It?

Eve Air Mobility—the producer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and subsidiary of Brazilian aerospace heavyweight Embraer—has announced the penning of a non-binding letter of intent with Embraer and BAE Systems to explore the potential ordering of up to 150 of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles with the aim of evaluating the aircrafts’ suitability to applications in the defense and security sectors.

In a separate announcement, BAE Systems and Embraer signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) at the Farnborough International Airshow to potentially form a joint venture to collaboratively develop a defense eVTOL variant using Eve’s existing platform.

President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security Jackson Schneider said of the developments: “Teams from BAE Systems and Embraer will continue working together to explore how the aircraft, designed for the urban mobility market, can provide cost-effective, sustainable, and adaptable capability as a defense variant.”

BAE Systems-Air Chief Operating Officer Ian Muldowney remarked: “Our customers’ operating environment is increasingly complex and eVTOL is just one example of how we’re looking at emerging technologies, including those from the commercial market. We are exploring how we can adapt these solutions to bring vital operational capability to our customers quickly and at a lower cost - whilst also supporting environmental and sustainability goals.”

In December 2021, Embraer and BAE Systems disclosed plans to collaborate on the development of a defense variant of Eve’s eVTOL. The agreement evinced the increasing trust aerospace and defense organizations are placing in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles, and heralded the advancement of Eve’s eVTOL beyond the urban air mobility sphere.

Eve CEO Andre Stein added: “We are thrilled that Embraer and BAE Systems have chosen Eve as their platform for this collaboration. Our eVTOL can be adapted to meet various essential applications in this market, such as humanitarian response and disaster relief. This collaboration also indicates that the defense market can be more sustainable and at the same time allows Eve to remain focused on exploring the Urban Air Mobility market.”

If finalized, the BAE order will be added to Eve’s current backlog of 1,910 eVTOLs—the largest in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry.

FMI: www.eveairmobility.com