AFWERX

The manufacturer’s flagship, hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft requires only the space of a soccer field to launch and touch down.

The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturer has now committed a total of four aircraft to U.S. Department of Defense sites.

The light eVTOL manufacturer is working with AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, to assess the aircraft for a range of use cases.

Xwing and fellow autonomous flight provider Reliable Robotics are now among a handful of emerging aviation firms with military airworthiness approvals.

The company retrofits Cessna Caravans with its continuous autopilot system that automates all phases of flight, from takeoff to landing.

Air Force pilots flew the electric aircraft manufacturer’s conventional takeoff and landing design in a series of experimental trials.

From the loading and unloading of packages to flight itself, almost everything about the 2024 Cento is fully automated.

Archer said the initial focus on battery cell safety is part of a ‘much larger partnership’ between it and the space agency.

The center is expected to open for government and commercial use in late 2024, beginning with a single site at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (KSYR).

The manufacturer is developing what it claims will be the first zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered compound helicopter on the market.