Swedish hybrid-electric aircraft manufacturer Heart Aerospace unveiled Wednesday a 30-seat demonstrator dubbed Heart Experimental 1, or Heart X1.
The aircraft—the company’s first full-scale demonstrator of its ES-30 aircraft under development—will serve as a testing platform and marks a “major milestone” for development of the regional airplane set to make its fully electric first flight in the second quarter of next year, the company said.
Heart X1 will initially be deployed for ground-based testing, including taxiing, turnaround procedures, and charging operations, the company said.
The aircraft, which boasts a 32-meter (105-feet) wingspan, will produce less emissions and noise pollution and be cheaper to operate in comparison to conventionally fueled regional aircraft, according to the company.
“Our industry is approaching a 30-year innovation cycle, and we have less than 25 years to decarbonize aviation,” Anders Forslund, co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, said in a statement. “It is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of our team that we’re able to roll out a 30-seat aircraft demonstrator with a brand-new propulsion system, largely in-house, in less than two years. “
Earlier this year, Heart Aerospace announced it had raised $107 million in a series B round, which was earmarked for ES-30 type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency. It also received a $4.1 million grant from the FAA’s Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) program in August for development of the aircraft’s hybrid-election propulsion management system.
