Vertical Aerospace has pulled back the hanger doors on the second full-scale prototype of its four-passenger VX4 tilt-rotor eVTOL aircraft. The latest flavor has been given a significant power boost, and features proprietary batteries for the first time.
Based in Bristol, UK, Vertical Aerospace was founded in 2016 by the OVO Group's Stephen Fitzpatrick and had attracted engineers and technicians from the likes of Airbus, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and General Electric by 2018, when its air taxi technology demonstrator took to the skies above Cotswold Airport in Kimble, Gloucestershire.
By 2020, the design brief had morphed through a 12-rotor three-person contender called the Seraph to a tilt-rotor people carrier concept dubbed the VA-1X – which the company's Chief Engineer detailed in an interview shortly after the reveal. After going public through a SPAC deal the following year and opening the order books, tethered pilot testing of a full-scale five-seat prototype began in Q3 of 2022.
It took another 10 months for untethered test flights of the prototype, and then disaster struck when the remotely piloted aircraft had "a disagreement with the ground" during maneuverability testing that resulted in one of the wings snapping. There were no injuries. Subsequent reports by Vertical Aerospace and the UK's Air Accidents Investigations Branch concluded that the crash was the result of "an adhesive bond failure of a propeller blade."
After licking its wounds, and doubtless learning from the experience, the company has now revealed the second full-scale prototype of the VX4 air taxi. The latest version of the aircraft will debut a newly developed battery and powertrain system that's reported to yield a 20% increase in power.
This is expected to take the prototype to speeds of up to 150 mph (240 km/h) – which will be the cruising speed of the forthcoming certified aircraft. Whether the aircraft will be able to achieve its projected per-charge range of 100 miles (162 km) hasn't been confirmed, though multiple backup power sources have been included and rapid charge times are promised. The new design is also the first to use the company's in-house batteries.
New propellers fashioned from carbon fiber composite using "a single-shot cure process" have been designed specifically for low noise and aero performance. The V-tail electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft features eight propellers mounted front and back of the above-cabin wing, with the front four tilting from vertical take-off mode to horizontal flight mode.
Vertical Aerospace is now working with the UK's Civil Aviation Authority towards gaining a test flight permit, and is currently building a second, identical prototype to help "accelerate the VX4's flight test programme and demonstration capability." Once the permit is granted, rigorous testing will begin anew – "with a focus on achieving piloted flight."
"Our goal is to build the safest and most advanced aircraft in this new category of transport," said company CEO, Stuart Simpson. "With the new full-scale VX4 prototype, which has been built by combining our own world-leading technology with that from leading aerospace partners, we are well on the way to achieving that goal."
There's no word on whether the commercial debut for the VX4 air taxi is still on the cards for 2025/26.
Source: Vertical Aerospace
