Air Force

The manufacturer says the technology is designed to accelerate its path to supplemental type certification with regulators in the U.S. and New Zealand.

The partners have already installed a system at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, with plans to add Frederick Municipal Airport and Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport.

The company will inherit several pending patents and government contracts to ramp up development of its hybrid-electric propulsion system.

The manufacturer’s HEX testbed and demonstrator aircraft will help it evaluate a future family of large, self-flying VTOL models.

During the trials, the aircraft’s electronics and instrumentation are evaluated in temperatures ranging from 110 degrees to minus-25 degrees Fahrenheit.

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.

The company is now ramping up to for-credit FAA testing and expects to produce 12 aircraft this year, among other projections.

The Boston-based company says the approval puts it on a viable path to certification and commercial operations for Merlin Pilot, its flagship autonomous flight system.

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

Electric aircraft manufacturer Beta hopes to take its conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) Alia to market in 2025.