Vahana
Our single-seat eVTOL demonstrator
Cutting-edge urban air mobility innovation
A PIONEERING DEMONSTRATOR
Vahana was an all-electric, single-seat, tilt-wing vehicle demonstrator that focused on advancing self-piloted, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flight. In November 2019, Vahana took its final test flight at the Pendleton UAS Range in Oregon, USA, bringing the flagship programme to a close.
From sketch to reality
In less than two years, Vahana went from a sketch on a napkin to a full-scale flying aircraft. The eight electric motors and tandem tilt-wing configuration enabled Vahana to achieve both vertical take-off and landing, as well as cross-city flight range on battery power alone. In total, Vahana has flown over 138 full-scale test flights.
The three main objectives
All-electric vertical flight
The project team architected an all-electric propulsion system for a tilt-wing aircraft configuration. The flight testing programme culminated in over 13 hours of flight time, totalling almost 500 nautical miles.
Autonomy
The project team de-risked the core elements of autonomy, including real-time, detect-and-avoid capabilities for both airborne and ground-based hazards.
eVTOL business case
Vahana offered rich learnings on the total operating costs of and certification requirements for eVTOLs, all of which is critical for creating a compelling business case.
Technical specifications
MOTOR
8 x 45 kW electric motors
CAPACITY
Tandem tilt wing
SPEED
- 190 km/hour (cruise)
- 220 km/hour (max)
The advantages
A pioneer in eVTOL flight
The latest in Advanced Aerial Mobility
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