Supernal Signals Revival with KAI Partnership, New CTO

Eight months after pausing its S-A2 eVTOL aircraft program and two months after cutting 80% of its workforce, Supernal has appointed a new chief technology officer and signed a joint development agreement with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)—two moves in one week that suggest Hyundai Motor Group hasn’t abandoned its eVTOL ambitions after all.

The California-based company’s CEO Jaiwon Shin and former CTO David McBride both departed last August, prompting Supernal to pause development of the S-A2—its planned four-passenger eVTOL aircraft—while it evaluated strategic options. The pause came just months after the company completed inaugural flights of a full-scale technology demonstrator at its Mojave, California, test facility in March 2025, but before it had begun flight-testing a production-representative prototype. In February, the company laid off 296 employees, approximately 80% of its staff. Supernal had previously targeted 2028 for type certification and entry into commercial service.

On May 4, Supernal announced the appointment of Farhan Gandhi as its new CTO, filling a role that had been vacant for eight months. Gandhi brings more than 30 years of experience in rotorcraft research and eVTOL design. He previously served as the Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Professor in Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University and as director of the Center for Mobility with Vertical Lift at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Royal Aeronautical Society, and the Vertical Flight Society. 

Gandhi said in a statement that he intends to focus “on accelerating [Supernal’s] technical vision and ensuring we operate as a high-efficiency, intellectual engine for aircraft development.” He claimed that Supernal is “creating the most stable and precise path to a commercially viable aircraft” with help from “a robust ecosystem of strategic partners.”

On May 10, Hyundai Motor Group announced a memorandum of understanding with KAI to jointly develop advanced air mobility (AAM) solutions. Under the agreement, Supernal and KAI will co-develop an electric aircraft. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group and KAI will separately collaborate on commercializing electrified aviation powertrains through Hyundai’s aviation powertrain division. Cooperation will also extend to supply chains, certification processes, and global customer networks, according to Hyundai.

In a statement emailed to AIN, a company spokesperson clarified that Supernal “remains the design authority and technical lead and will continue to lead the aircraft’s vision and requirements”—notable given that Supernal’s skeleton crew would seemingly leave the bulk of engineering execution to KAI regardless. For its part, KAI brings its own motivation: the company, best known for military platforms such as the KT-1 trainer, has been looking to reduce its dependence on government defense contracts and expand into civilian aviation.

Supernal has not confirmed whether the S-A2 concept survives intact, nor has it offered a revised certification timeline or addressed whether the KAI partnership will bring new investment or additional staff. The company says it is “limiting external updates” while engineering milestones are in progress, with more significant announcements promised later this year. A new CEO has not been named.