Singaporean eVTOL Conducts Test Campaign In Germany

Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has completed an initial flight test campaign for its domestically-designed eVTOL prototypes. Conducted at the German Aerospace Center facilities at in Cochstedt, the month-long mission saw two scaled demonstrators perform a range of uncrewed activities. 

The flight test campaign was carried out between July and August, during which “the prototypes demonstrated the eVTOL design’s ability to hover, fly using its fixed wings, and transition between the two modes,” explained NTU. The student team flew two separate subscale aircraft—with respective wingspans of three and eight meters—with the latter reaching speeds of more than 65 knots.

During the course of the campaign, which saw the team perform remotely-operated beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights, control was also passed between indoor and outdoor pilots while the lift-and-cruise-configured aircraft remained airborne. According to NTU, this successful ‘handover’ also further validated the aircraft’s flight control systems and operating procedures. 

The eight meter-wingspan scaled demonstrator had already conducted tethered hover trials in Singapore, restrictive civil aviation authority permissions in that country meant the team had to look further afield to further expand the envelope. This summer’s test campaign in Germany builds on flights first performed in the country in January this year.  

NTU first unveiled its technology demonstrator project at the February 2026 Singapore Airshow, a venture it said had been underway for around three years. NTU professor James Wang is spearheading the program, which was formally allocated government funding in 2023. NTU’s eVTOL research is supported by Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan, in collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research. 

Although the design may further evolve before a commercialized variant enters service, Wang nevertheless believes that technological insights have the potential to benefit the wider Singaporean aerospace industry. “We may be a small nation, but we have the technologies and talent to build a novel made-in-Singapore electric aircraft, paving the way for Singapore to carve out a place in this emerging industry,” he concluded.