Aircraft

Hydrogen-powered, box-winged eVTOL makes first untethered flight

Hydrogen-powered, box-winged eVTOL makes first untethered flight
Vertiia will be hydrogen powered when opertional
Vertiia will be hydrogen powered when opertional
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Vertiia will be hydrogen powered when opertional
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Vertiia will be hydrogen powered when opertional
Vertiia making its first untethered flight
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Vertiia making its first untethered flight
Interior of the Vertiia
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Interior of the Vertiia
Refueling the Vertiia
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Refueling the Vertiia
Vertiia in medivac configuration
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Vertiia in medivac configuration
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We've been following the development of Australia's AMSL Aero's longe-range, hydrogen-powered Vertiia eVTOL for some time and now the box-winged tilt-rotor aircraft has completed its first free flight after over a year of 50 tethered tests.

In recent years, multi-prop rotor craft have become increasingly common as all manner of companies have battled to gain a foothold in the emerging air taxi market. Despite this, the Vertiia still manages to stand out in the innovation stakes.

It's eight electric rotors are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell buffered through a battery system, which the company claims gives it a range of 620 miles (1,000 km) at a speed of 161 knots (186 mph, 300 km/h) and the ability to carry a pilot and four passengers at 30% of the cost of a conventional helicopter.

Interior of the Vertiia
Interior of the Vertiia

In addition, its box-wing configuration with its small wings behind the props that tilt in unison makes it surprisingly compact thanks to the carbon composite design. Not only is this a very strong build with plenty of lift, but it allows the rotors a very large degree of freedom to rotate while avoiding the "barndoor" drag that many tilt rotors suffer from before the airfoils can tilt back to allow for horizontal flight.

The Vertiia made its first tethered flight in February 2023. In the first flights, it was fully battery powered as the company made thorough hover tests before going on to the various transition maneuvers for full flight. Hydrogen-powered flights will begin next year and commercial flights are slated to begin after full regulatory approval by 2027.

Source: AMSL Aero

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4 comments
4 comments
-dphiBbydt
So it's a normal battery electric vtol with an insanely expensive and dangerous range extender?
jimbo92107
Ha, the fuselage looks like a stretched Aptera! ...which looks like an airplane...
Aermaco
dphiBbydt,, One of your disdains for H2 lacks basic knowledge while pushing false groupthink,, i.e. H2 is far safer than burning fuels for several reasons,, but on costs,, yes, cost is high in every new technology's birth but H2 will certainly be the future of transport regardless of the ignorant groupthink out there.
-dphiBbydt
@aeramco : I think the groupthink is coming from the pro-hydrogen side. Absolutely relentless (often AI generated) 'news' articles expounding the latest developments in 'green' hydrogen. Apparently they (the fossil fuel industry) have found 'white' hydrogen now, just sitting in huge reservoirs under our feet. Endless articles about how new electrolysis techniques have been developed etc. Until the same oil-industry funded boffins can find a way of cleaning, cooling, compressing, storing it and using the stuff without exotic rare metals- as an energy transfer medium it's dead in the water. (Unless, of course, the public steps in with continuing trillions of dollars in subsidies.)