Develops and manufactures hybrid-electric ultra-short aircraft with a 150 ft takeoff and landing distance
Electra Aero, Inc.
Manassas, VA (USA) · Bleienbach (Switzerland)New on Amplifa
About Electra
Electra is an aerospace company founded in 2020 by Dr. John Langford, founder of Aurora Flight Sciences, headquartered in Manassas, Virginia (USA). The company develops and manufactures a new category of aircraft, the hybrid-electric ultra-short (eSTOL): the nine-seat EL9 takes off and lands within just 150 feet (approx. 46 m) and carries nine passengers or 3,000 lbs (approx. 1,100 kg) of cargo. The technology is based on blown-lift aerodynamics with eight electric motors, distributed electric propulsion, a turbogenerator for cruise flight, and a triply redundant fly-by-wire flight control system. The propulsion system runs on sustainable aviation fuels and is designed for later hydrogen operation. In addition to civil regional air mobility, Electra targets military customers such as the US Air Force with defense airlift solutions; partners and investors include Honeywell, Lockheed Martin and Safran. Research and development of hybrid-electric propulsion systems also takes place at the R&D site in Bleienbach, Switzerland.
- Site
- Manassas, VA
- Processes
- Regional air mobility (Ultra Short / eSTOL aircraft), Defense airlift solutions, Flight testing, Aircraft certification program (FAA Part 23)
- Materials
- Hybrid-Electric Propulsion, Blown Lift, Fly-by-Wire
- Certificates
- FAA Part 23 (Type Certification applied for)
- Founded
- 2020
- Industries
- Aviation / Advanced Air Mobility, Defense / Military Aviation, Regional Passenger Transport, Freight/Cargo Air Transport, Sustainable Aviation
- 01
Design & Engineering
- 02
Prototype Build & Technology Demonstrator
- 03
Flight Testing
- 04
FAA Part 23 Type Certification Application
- 05
Pre-Production & Series Production
- 06
Delivery & Operational Support
Technologies & Propulsion Concepts
Hybrid-Electric Propulsion
Turbogenerator for cruise flight combined with batteries for takeoff and landing, compatible with Sustainable Aviation Fuels and later hydrogen.
Blown Lift
Airflow over the wing and large flaps generated by an array of electric motors produces high lift at speeds from 35 knots.
Fly-by-Wire
Triply redundant flight control system coordinates control surfaces and eight electric motors for precise, repeatable landings.
Sites
Manassas
USCorporate Headquarters, development, manufacturing and testing of the aircraft
- Materials
- Aluminum, Plastics
- EL2 Goldfinch technology demonstrator
- Flight test infrastructure
Bleienbach
CHR&D site for testing hybrid-electric propulsion systems
- Iron bird test rig for integrated hybrid-electric propulsion
Aircraft & Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certification
The EL9 is being certified under FAA Part 23; the type certification application was submitted in 2025. Systems such as flight control computers and actuators are supplied by Honeywell as safety-critical components.
| Evidence | Manassas |
|---|---|
| FAA Part 23 (Type Certification applied for) |
Company History
- 2020
Founded by Dr. John Langford (founder of Aurora Flight Sciences) with MIT professors John Hansman and Mark Drela as technical advisors
- 2021
Testing of the integrated hybrid-electric propulsion system (Iron Bird) at the R&D site in Bleienbach, Switzerland
- 2022
Build and flight test of Harvard University's zero-emissions, solar-electric research aircraft through the intern program
- 2023
US Air Force awards a Strategic Funding Partnership worth up to USD 85 million for eSTOL technology
- 2023
First flight of the manned technology demonstrator EL2 Goldfinch on November 11, 2023 in Manassas, VA
- 2024
Pre-orders exceed 2,000 ultra-short aircraft (including JSX, Surf Air, JetSetGo, Charm Aviation, LYGG)
- 2024
B. Marc Allen (former Boeing Chief Strategy Officer) becomes CEO
- 2024
Honeywell becomes a partner and strategic investor for flight control computers and actuators, alongside Lockheed Martin and Safran
- 2025
Series B financing of USD 115 million for pre-production and certification of the EL9
- 2025
FAA type certification application (Part 23) filed for the nine-seat EL9
- 2026
Bristow Group signs Launch Agreement and secures the first delivery slot for the EL9