Hybrid-Electric Completes Another Successful Military Flight Demo

Electra’s EL2 hybrid-electric prototype aircraft completed another successful military flight demonstration at the Department of Defense (DoD)’s Thunderstorm 24-4 Expeditionary Operations technology showcase.

The event was sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Electra’s unique dual-use technologies that support distributed operations of military forces in contested areas were highlighted in the invitation-only tech showcase.

EL2 conducted live overflights during the three-day event, displaying its low acoustic signature firsthand to attendees from all branches and venture capital investors. The demo really showcased the aircraft’s ultra-quiet all-electric mode compared with a conventional aircraft.

The EL2 validated an overflight noise level of about 55 dB at 500 feet, compared with 75 dB from a conventional turbine aircraft flying the same path at the same altitude. The quieter acoustic signature, together with the hybrid-electric range and payload performance, enables a higher level of survivability during tactically relevant missions.

Hank Griffiths, AFWERX Chief of Test and Evaluation, emphasized AFWERX’s role in incorporating customer feedback from the EL2 demonstration into Electra's 9-passenger EL9 aircraft.

He said, “The EL2 aircraft’s participation at Thunderstorm demonstrated Electra's ability to create a novel, dual-use, logistics-enabling aircraft that is also capable of quiet, expeditionary operations. The next step is to demonstrate how these capabilities can scale with their 9-passenger aircraft.”

These Thunderstorm flights were preceded by three earlier government flight demos this year. In June, Electra displayed the EL2’s ultra short takeoff and landing capability at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, in July at Felker Army Airfield at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

FMI:  www.electra.aero/