Toray Will Make Composite Airframes For Sora eVTOL

Sora Aviation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Toray Advanced Composites for the production of its Sora S-1 aircraft. Announced on July 21, the UK-based eVTOL developer hopes its new partner will help accelerate the development of its ‘first-of-a-kind’ aircraft, slated to enter service in 2031.

Under the agreement, the two companies will work together to integrate advanced carbon fibre composite materials throughout the S-1’s airframe and proprotor blades. “These materials will be utilised in both primary and secondary structures, where minimising weight while maximising strength, durability and fatigue resistance is critical,” explained Sora. 

According to Sora Aviation CEO Furqan Afzal, the partnership provides a strong foundation for both prototyping and series production of its proposed 30-passenger S-1. With the initial flight test campaign of a subscale demonstrator completed earlier this year, Sora expects to build a full-scale technology demonstrator for a first flight in 2028.

Toray Advanced Composites is also headquartered in the UK and has four manufacturing sites across Europe and the U.S. Having celebrated its centenary this year, Toray said it is continuing to invest in its European manufacturing footprint “with ongoing expansion of carbon fiber production capacity to support growing regional demand…. [for] commercial aviation, space, and defense applications.” 

In other agreements signed during the recent Farnborough International Airshow, Bristol-based Sora also announced partnerships with Honeywell and ANH Structure. South Korea-based ANH will develop both cockpit and passenger cabin designs for the S-1, while Honeywell provides sensors for the aircraft's electric propulsion and energy storage systems.