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Electra’s EL9 also can take off and land on short dirt or grass strips.
Electra.aero’s EL9 aircraft is designed to take off in less than the distance of a football field and then fly a 1,000-lb. payload more than 1,000 mi. That performance puts the aircraft in a curious spot—somewhere between a helicopter and a fixed-wing cargo aircraft, the workhorses of the U.S. Army and Air Force.
Traditionally, the Air Force has favored fixed-wing aircraft, and the Army has preferred helicopters. The Navy and Marine Corps operate somewhere in between with a mix of fixed-wing, tiltrotor and helicopter aircraft.
The U.S. Defense Department has no plans to buy a short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) aircraft like Electra’s EL9. But the startup asserts that the type’s unusual capabilities warrant reconsideration and has embarked on an ambitious effort to convince the Pentagon.
- Startup sees special ops potential for its quiet aircraft
- Nine-seater’s short runway requirements are conducive to resupplying distributed air bases in the Pacific
What makes the EL9 different from the aircraft that U.S. military services operate today are its eight electric-motor-driven propellers and its large inner flaps that rotate downward drastically to create a blown-wing effect. The aircraft’s increased lift coefficient gives it STOL capabilities and low-speed performance. Its electric motors also make it quieter.
Electra’s prototype, the EL2 Goldfinch, has landed in less than 100 ft. and regularly takes off in less than 150 ft., the startup’s CEO Marc Allen tells Aviation Week. Allen declined to comment on the aircraft’s stall speed or other low-speed flight performance. However, the Goldfinch has flown in the “very low 20s of knots without buffet,” according to a source with knowledge of its performance.
Electra is eager to show off those capabilities and has demonstrated the EL2 to the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army. It has also signed test and demonstration contracts with most of the services.
The company unveiled its EL9 concept in November, initially pitching it as a small commercial aircraft for carrying passengers in and out of urban centers. But Electra sees three military uses: last tactical leg transportation, special operations infiltration and exfiltration, and expeditionary command post.
Lockheed Martin C-130 transports often provide last tactical leg transportation of cargo and personnel missions for the Air Force, while the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk handles the job for the Army. But Allen asserts that the EL9, which can land on short strips of grass or dirt, has nearly the performance of a helicopter and the range of a fixed-wing aircraft. He says those capabilities could allow it to resupply distributed air bases, spread out across small islands in the Pacific Ocean, as part of the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) strategy.
“This aircraft is designed for [ACE],” Allen says. He adds that the EL9 could be the spoke in a hub-and-spoke logistics model and that its “runway independence” is useful should China use missiles to crater U.S. landing strips. The constant height and sliding doors of the EL9 fuselage can accommodate cargo easily, Allen notes.
The aircraft’s electric motors are relatively quiet, making it useful for U.S. Special Operations Command infiltration and exfiltration missions. “We’ve flown 500 ft. overhead, and our acoustic arrays measured 55 dB,” Allen says. “It’s about the noise of a dishwasher going by.”
He adds that the EL9’s turbogenerator, used to power its electric motors, can also power equipment on the ground as a sort of expeditionary command post. The generator can supply 600 kW of electricity or up to 1 megawatt in a pulse, he says.
Electra sees a moment of opportunity for its turboelectric EL9 after the Air Force AFWerx innovation unit declared in December that hybrid-electric aircraft are the future of its Agility Prime test and development program after first investing heavily in battery electric aircraft.
Moreover, Allen says the dual commercial-military uses of the EL9 should be amenable to cost sharing and a lower price tag, although he declines to name its cost. Its electric motors and fixed wing also mean fewer moving parts, and thus reduced maintenance costs. The EL9 is projected to be 70% less expensive to operate compared with a helicopter, he says.
As part of its commercial passenger program, Electra plans to start flight tests of the EL9 in 2027; certification and entry into service are anticipated in 2029. Military service could roughly follow the same timeline, Allen says.
Allen acknowledges there is no U.S. military program of record for a STOL aircraft, but he remains unfazed. “We’re letting the capabilities lead, rather than spending too much time worried about where the aircraft fits,” he says.
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