Electric Aircraft

It looks like the age of the robotic warrior is here. The RAF has revealed that a radar-jamming combat drone called StormShroud will be deployed to support Britain's F-35B Lightning II and Typhoon fighters using lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Joby Aviation achieved a major milestone on April 22, 2025 when it became the first company to fly an all-electric tilt-rotor eVTOL with a pilot aboard as it transitioned from horizontal to vertical flight and back again.

After demonstrating a super-efficient, ultra-quiet leaf blower, Whisper Aero has secured funding to fit its WhisperDrive propulsion technology to a glider and begin test flights. Its innovative ducted fans promise extreme efficiency and low noise.

One of the most fascinating aircraft in the eVTOL space has moved into flight testing with a new large-scale prototype. Cyclotech's Blackbird airframe becomes the world's first aircraft to fly with six barrel-shaped "Cyclorotors" for propulsion.

Described as a "formula one racing car for the sky," the Jetson One is an electric-powered VTOL sky toy that can hover, bank, and reach speeds of up to 63 mph. The company's latest video will leave you wanting it more than ever.

Electra's aircraft looks conventional enough, but it generates ludicrous amounts of lift, to take off and land at incredibly slow speeds, using almost no runway. With US$9 billion in pre-orders, it's outselling anything from the eVTOL world.

Rhode Island-based startup Regent Craft has successfully completed the first test of its full-size electric Viceroy seaglider with passengers on board, validating the company's idea for an all-new kind of ocean-faring vessel.

Deriving from electric motor technology that set speed records on land, water and air, the Evolito axial flux machine will bring world-beating levels of power density to the Flying Whales airship, designed to be the largest aircraft in the world.

SkyDrive has long taken a leadership role in Japan's eVTOL industry with sights on making flying cars as common as automobiles. This week, it released the first photos of its soon-to-debut three-seater after taking the next step toward certification.

Hybrid-electric aircraft maker Pipistrel just ushered its Nuuva V300 electric vertical takeoff and landing craft through a major milestone. A recent video shows it break the chains of gravity and hover midair in a first for the vehicle.

Imagine a massive high-tech helium balloon that stretches over an NFL football field in length, has more cargo capacity than an Airbus Beluga XL, and produces megawatts of power for nearly three dozen propellers. That's the Flying Whales LCA60T.

When we last looked at air taxi startup Lilium, it was in administration and had laid off most of its employees on December 20. Now it seems there was a Christmas miracle on December 24, with investors throwing out a US$206 million lifeline.