Otto Aerospace Lands 300-Phantom 3500 Order from Flexjet

Otto Aerospace formally launched its Phantom 3500 yesterday at the UP.Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas, with a firm fleet order from Flexjet for 300 airplanes

Unveiled in June, the Phantom 3500 is a clean-sheet twinjet that will fly at altitudes up to 51,000 feet, have a 3,500-nm range, and sport a cabin height of 6 feet 5 inches. It will also incorporate laminar-flow aerodynamics and all-carbon-fiber composites to cut fuel burn by more than 60% over current technology aircraft and lower emissions by 90% when using sustainable aviation fuel.

Plans call for first flight of the Phantom 3500 in 2027, with FAA Part 23 certification and deliveries following in 2030. The agreement, which is backed by initial deposits, also names Flexjet as an authorized service center for the twinjet. The companies did not detail the value of the agreement, but based on the estimated $19.5 million initial pricing of the Phantom 3500, the contract could approach $6 billion.

Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci said the Phantom 3500 marks “a bold step into a future where an aircraft’s efficiency and sustainability stand alongside speed, comfort, and range as defining standards.”

The Phantom 3500 will be integrated into Flexjet’s fleet to offer clients a more sustainable, long-range travel option, Flexjet said. Customers will have access to Flexjet’s private terminals and other premium offerings.

“Flexjet’s decision to build their fleet around the Phantom 3500 speaks volumes about where aviation is headed,” said Paul Touw, CEO of Otto Aerospace, the Fort Worth, Texas-headquartered company that was recently renamed from Otto Aviation. “As one of the largest business jet orders in private aviation history, this marks a turning point in the industry’s move toward sustainable and efficient air travel.”

Otto unveiled a full-scale mockup of the Phantom 3500 during the UP.Summit, showcasing 72-inch “passenger windows” that incorporate its SuperNatural Vision (SNV) technology. The SNV technology uses lightweight digital screens that depict imagery from cameras embedded around the airframe.

“Business jets have long relied on derivative designs built from traditional aluminum structures, aerodynamics, and manufacturing techniques from decades past,” Touw said. “Freed from legacy systems and guided by a true clean-sheet, ultra-efficient vision for the future, we rethink everything to unlock performance gains once thought impossible.”

Otto is planning a 1 million-sq-ft campus on 250 acres at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, to manufacture the aircraft. Backed by a $515 million incentive package from the State of Florida, the plant will be designed as a smart factory with robotics, automation, and deterministic assembly to achieve the precision required for laminar flow.