Israel-based company Air has announced an unmanned version of its Air One eVTOL aircraft for the air cargo and logistics market.
The all-electric midsize cargo eVTOL aircraft takes off and lands vertically and can carry a payload of up to 550 lbs (250kg). It has a “practical long range on a single charge at speeds comparable to the manned passenger variant” said Air One.
The passenger variant is a two-seat eVTOL aircraft targeted at individual consumers for daily use with a top speed of up to 250km/h (155 mph) and a range of 110 miles (177km) according to reports.
Air said it has already successfully delivered the first cargo aircraft after ending last year with US$1 million in orders for the cargo eVTOL which it will fulfil throughout 2024 and the first half of 2025.
Rani Plaut, CEO and co-founder of Air said, “Venturing into this new market with Air One Cargo is a testament to our commitment to the integration of eVTOLs into all spheres of daily life, for a variety of use cases.
“We expanded our offerings in response to strong market demand, and the feedback we have already received affirms that Air One’s capabilities and cost-effective design make it an extremely agile platform, uniquely able to scale across different uses.”
Air announced participation in the US Air Force’s AFWERX Agility Prime program in December to drive flight testing and additional R&D efforts in the USA.
The company said it is continuing to amass significant flight test hours with its full-scale prototypes after successfully proving all phases of flight. According to Air, it has pre-orders for 1,170 personal use Air Ones, and plans to deliver the first batch of aircraft to consumers following certification.
