Cormorant Aerospace has built a technology demonstrator for its planned eight-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft. The model, designated as an “operational surface prototype,” will be used for ground testing as the Dutch start-up prepares to be ready to start flight tests in 2028.
Plans for the aircraft have evolved since early 2023, when what was then called Cormorant Seaplanes unveiled plans for a seven-passenger amphibious aircraft. Now the company expects to offer the aircraft for ground- or water-based regional airliner services and with short takeoff and landing capability.
According to Cormarant’s CEO and designer, Chris Rijff, testing of the demonstrator will help his team to finalize the design for the production aircraft. Initially, the hybrid propulsion system will run on sustainable aviation fuel, but for parts of the flight testing the company may use a hydrogen-electric powertrain, such as that being developed in the Netherlands for a possible four-seater light aircraft. It may use hydrogen propulsion for flight testing, even if the initial production version of the
Cormorant has not yet selected all the suppliers for the propulsion system, but is considering options such as those now in development at French aerospace group Safran. The ground testing that will start soon will include evaluation of a fan system provided by Hoffman Propeller and two Saluqi electric motors, with these elements connected by a drive shaft.
The operational surface prototype has been built from wood, which Cormorant also used for its first mock-up. However, the production aircraft will be made from composite materials, while the prototype will feature wooden wings that the company believes could meet EASA’s requirements for Part CS23 certification with a view to achieving entry into service by the end of 2030.
Cormorant is also for the production phase of the program, which it expects to establish in the Netherlands, and potentially in other markets for the aircraft. In addition to Rijff, who has past experience with small aircraft manufacturers and at the Delft University of Technology, the company’s other founders are Frank Kaiser, who previously worked with Fokker, Thales, and Collins Aerospace, and Mark Sowery, who has a track record of developing general aviation enterprises.