Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is helping Electra Aero to accelerate development of its hybrid-electric EL9 ultra-short take-off and landing aircraft. On June 19 at the Paris Air Show, the U.S. defense group, which is an investor in the Virginia-based start-up, signed a memorandum of understanding to support the program.
The Lockheed Martin advanced technology unit will help Electra with tasks including digital engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and sustainment preparations, and global business development. The Skunk Works and Electra teams will also jointly assess opportunities to work on programs of record with the U.S. Department of Defense and foreign military agencies.
The EL9 is being developed for both defense and commercial applications that could include regional air services, last-mile logistics, emergency response and mobile power generation. According to Electra, it will be able to takeoff and land in 150 feet and from unprepared surfaces and with a range of over 1,000 miles. The airplane’s projected payload is around 1,000 pounds.
“Lockheed Martin’s breadth of manufacturing, supply chain and military customer expertise is the perfect complement to Electra’s EL9 commercialization strategy,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “This relationship will accelerate our speed to market to bring the EL9’s transformative capabilities to our military customers.”
In 2022, Lockheed Martin Ventures invested in Electra’s Series A funding round.