Electra.aero, Inc. has officially revealed the design of its groundbreaking EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric product aircraft, which happens to be a nine-passenger piloted aircraft built for the electric future that redefines air travel without airports, emissions, or noise.
According to certain reports, having unveiled the design, Electra will now initiate the development phase of EL9, a step supported at length by year-long successful flight testing of its EL2 Goldfinch two-seat prototype, thus reinforcing the technology’s readiness for leading the charge towards electric aviation.
More on the given aircraft would reveal how Electra’s innovative EL9 hybrid-electric propulsion system, with blown lift technology, goes a long distance to facilitate ultra-short takeoffs and landings in soccer field-size spaces. To understand the significance of that, we must consider how the stated facility was previously limited to helicopters and eVTOLs. Another detail worth a mention here is how the whole value proposition is provided to the customer at one-third the cost, while simultaneously delivering improved safety and reliability of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Such a setup, like you can guess, opens up an uninterrupted access to new locations for direct air service, including small regional airports or unconventional sites like grass fields or parking lots, offering seamless point-to-point regional connectivity for both passengers and cargo. The EL9 aircraft also emits far lower emissions and noise than conventional planes. On the other hand, the aircraft’s hybrid-electric power system brings to the fore extended range and in-flight battery recharging. This particular aspect ensures that no ground charging stations are required.
“Today’s reveal of the EL9 showcases the dedication of our incredible team and partners,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “This aircraft is more than a new design—it’s the gateway to a cleaner, quieter, and more affordable future for regional travel. With the EL9, we’re not just making sustainable aviation a reality, we’re redefining how people and cargo move through Direct Aviation, a new category of safe and seamless travel that brings air mobility closer to where we live, work and play.”
Moving on, we now must touch on the EL9’s ability to combine blown lift technology with distributed electric propulsion. Markedly enough, the aircraft achieves that using four independent battery packs and a small turbine-powered generator which drives eight electric motors distributed along the wing to provide high lift at low airspeeds.
On top of that, the technology in question can also take off and land in as short as 150 feet worth of area, and apart from that, it can cruise at 175 knots. All in all, the EL9 will carry nine passengers with baggage or 3,000 pounds of cargo for 330 nautical miles. It will also enjoy a maximum ferry range of 1,100 nautical miles with IFR reserves.
Among other things, it must be mentioned that the aircraft will be certified for IFR and flight into known icing conditions. Furthermore, it will arrive on the scene bearing two pilot crew stations, Electra’s Safe Single Pilot technology, as well as fly-by-wire controls that will enable precise landings for a single pilot.
While first test flights are planned for 2027, and certification anticipated in 2029 under FAA Part 23 regulations, Electra has already secured over 2,100 orders for the EL9 from 52 operators worldwide, representing more than $8 billion in market value.
Founded in 2020, Electra.aero, Inc’s rise up the ranks stems from building clean tech, hybrid-electric Ultra Short airplanes that fly people and cargo seamlessly without airports, emissions, or noise. Of course, at its core, there is the company’s Ultra Short technology which delivers 2.5x the payload and 10x longer range with 70% lower operating costs than helicopters and eVTOLs, with far less of a certification risk. Electra’s excellence in what it does can also be understood once you consider its contracted customers, at the moment, include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy, joined by more than 2,000 aircraft under Letters of Intent from 50+ commercial customers.
