Thu, Apr 26, 2018
Aurora To Expand Research Into eVTOL Capabilities
Aurora Flight Sciences has reached an agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to transition its X-Plane program technology to commercial applications, including expanding its research into commercial eVTOL systems.
"When DARPA launched the idea of distributed electric propulsion in 2013, it was a novel concept. Today, it is widely accepted as the catalyst to a sophisticated electric air transportation ecosystem," said Aurora Founder and CEO John Langford. "Expanding on DARPA's vision, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to take this groundbreaking capability to completely new markets."
"Growing private capital investment in electric aircraft has quickly accelerated the timeline of point-to-point VTOL travel within the commercial space," said Tom Clancy, Aurora Chief Technology Officer. "DARPA has always been at the forefront of technological advancements, and the success of this ambitious project has the potential to redefine the world we live in."
Developed for DARPA's Vertical Takeoff and Landing Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) program, the program's XV-24 subscale vehicle demonstrator (SVD) delivered a number of key aviation milestones:
- Distributed electric propulsion ducted fans
- An innovative synchronous electric-drive system
- Both tilt-wing- and tilt-canard-based propulsion for vertical takeoff and landing
- High efficiency in both hover and high-speed forward flight
These milestones advanced the concept of distributed electric propulsion applied to Aurora's eVTOL on-demand aircraft, which is being developed in partnership with Uber Elevate.
(Source: Aurora Flight Sciences news release. Image provided by Aurora)
More News
Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]
Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]
From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]
NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1
See All