Beta Technologies has completed three months of experimental operations and training at Eglin Air Force base with the 413th Flight Test Squadron.
The deployment, part of the through the US Air Force’s Agility Prime program is part of a program to assess electric aviation’s applicability for military applications.
Founded in 2017, BETA is developing its fixed-wing Alia CX300 electric aircraft and the Alia eVTOL aircraft.
During the deployment, which started at the end of October the CX300 was utilized for operational experimentation and US Air Force pilot and maintenance assessments, and a MobileDome simulator, which the Beta flight test team and US Air Force pilots used to rehearse flights and practice emergency.
BETA also installed a Level 3 DC fast-charger (350kW) — the first-ever electric aircraft charging station at a US Department of Defense (DoD) installation. This multi-modal charger supported charge needs between flights.
Engineers also worked with the 413th Flight Test Squadron to validate military use cases including critical resupply, cargo delivery, and personnel transport. These use cases mirror real operations the Air Force has planned for its multitude of theaters.
Simulated missions performed during the test campaign include a medevac, a maintenance recovery team mission and the installation of a charger.
In addition to the flight test milestones and more technical operational assessments conducted, the data collected from experimentation demonstrates the value of electric aviation within the modern operational environment., said Beta.
The company is also creating a country-wide multimodal electric charging network and has already activated 12 aircraft charging stations from Vermont to Arkansas—and has 58 more sites in the permitting or construction phase along the East and Gulf Coasts.
In addition Beta, which has orders from UPS, Bristow, LCI, BLADE, and United Therapeutics, as well as contracts with the US Army and Air Force opened a 188,500 square foot aircraft production facility in South Burlington, Vermont last year.
