Electra has won a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Army valued at $1.9 million for wind tunnel testing of the company’s hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft. The award allows the U.S. Army to explore Electra’s blown-wing aircraft technology potential to broaden U.S. military capabilities, especially for fuel-efficient, resilient logistics in contested environments.
Electra says its eSTOL vehicle combines helicopter-like applications with fixed-wing-like performance and operating costs. The combination of blown lift and eight distributed electric motors significantly increases wing lift, allowing for ultra-short takeoffs and landings from spaces as small as a soccer field while “dramatically” reducing noise and fuel use compared with conventional aircraft. Hybrid-electric power ensures ranges beyond 1,000 miles for national security applications without the need for battery charging stations.
“There is a substantial benefit to employing the right-sized aircraft for a given payload-range mission,” said Ben Marchionna, Electra’s director of technology and innovation. “It’s a very effective method to substantially reduce fuel use—or operational energy—in theater, which really matters for enabling distributed operations in contested locations.”
Marchionna added that many of the most commonly deployed military logistics “solutions” in use today fly well below their intended payload capacity. The eSTOL aircraft can fulfill such missions while using “dramatically” less fuel, providing more range at significantly reduced noise levels and using the same constrained operational footprints on the ground.
The powered wind tunnel testing will advance Electra’s aerodynamics database for use in performance analysis, simulator, and control law development. Electra will use the wind tunnel tests, combined with ground tests and the ongoing flight test program of Electra’s eSTOL technology demonstrator aircraft, to help guide the design and development of its production aircraft.