Electra and UK-based aviation and aerospace services firm 2Excel Aviation are to work together to demonstrate Electra’s hybrid-electric ultra short take-off and landing aircraft in the UK and Europe, starting with its EL2 technology demonstrator.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU), 2Excel will provide airworthiness and flight-operations support for a planned 2027 European tour of the EL2, including engagement with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The support covers infrastructure, ground and flight-test support, and demonstration planning and execution.
Electra’s Ultra Short aircraft is designed to take off and land in less than 165ft (50m), enabling point-to-point flights from sites as small as a football pitch. The design uses a blown-lift system – propellers along the wing leading edge and large flaps that direct air downward – to generate lift at low speed and shorten the runway length needed.
The two-seat EL2 demonstrator, known as Goldfinch, recently completed a year of flight testing in the USA, where it achieved take-offs and landings in 150ft (46m) or less while flying as slowly as 30mph during take-off and landing. Demonstrations included off-runway operations with the US Air Force Research Laboratory and flights from grass fields and paved surfaces.
The agreement also lays the groundwork forthe larger EL9, a nine-seat production aircraft that Electra has submitted for US type certification under Part 23 rules, with service entry targeted for 2029. Electra plans the EL9’s first flight for during 2027, including trials in Norway with local operators and the national regulator, while 2Excel is exploring modifying the aircraft for reconnaissance, surveillance, charter and other missions.
Andy Offer, co-founder and chief executive of 2Excel Aviation, said, “Supporting this work with the EL2 two-seat technology demonstrator is a pathfinder for the potential delivery of the EL9 production aircraft into service in the UK and Europe.”
Jake Ashmore, Electra’s director of strategic growth, said, “Europe is an important market for Electra’s Ultra Short aircraft, and this partnership is a critical step toward demonstrating how hybrid-electric, ultra-short flight can work across the region.”
Electra is backed by investors including Lockheed Martin Ventures, Honeywell Aerospace and Safran, says its Ultra Short technology offers 2.5 times the payload and 10 times the range of helicopters and eVTOL aircraft at 70% lower operating cost. Its customers include the US Air Force, US Army, US Navy and NASA, alongside more than 2,200 letters of intent from over 60 commercial operators.
