BETA ALIA CTOL “Completes First Performance Evaluations with U.S Dept of Defence”
Last week, BETA Technologies ALIA CTOL electric aircraft completed its first performance evaluations with the U.S Department of Defence at Duke Field, Eglin Air Force base, Florida reports a press release.
The trials had been carried out over a three month period with the 413th Flight Test Squadron via the Air Force’s Agility Prime program.This was the next phase of a larger Developmental Test and Evaluation effort being conducted by the USAF to assess electric aviation’s applicability for DoD missions.
BETA’s ALIA aircraft arrived at Duke Field on October 26th following a pioneering 1,500 nautical mile mission down the east coast, where the ALIA flew through the Class Bravo airspace of Boston and New York, and became the first electric aircraft to fly along the Flight Restricted Zone of Washington, D.C. to stop at Joint Base Andrews.
The aircraft was employed “for operational experimentation and USAF pilot and maintenance assessments and a MobileDome simulator, which the BETA flight test team and USAF pilots used to rehearse flights and practice emergency procedures and served as a key tool for training and immersion for stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs),” explains the release. “BETA also installed a Level 3 DC fast-charger (350kW), the first-ever electric aircraft charging station at a Department of Defense installation. This multimodal charger supported charge needs between flights.”
During the evaluation, BETA’s primary test team worked hand-in-hand with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation unit and the 413th Test Squadron to conduct hands-on experimentation and training with the technology to validate military use cases including critical resupply, cargo delivery and personnel transport.

(USAF Photo: Credit — Samuel King Jr.)
Key Milestones
Air Force-Directed Operational Experimentation and Training
The missions from Duke Field, which ranged from short sorties to extended missions, averaged approximately USD15 in energy per flight. The 413th Squadron invited many local Air Force pilots to participate in electric aircraft training at the MobileDome simulator, providing input on flight characteristics and ease of platform learning.
Performed the First Simulated Casualty Evacuation Mission with an Electric Aircraft
BETA participated in a simulated casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) scenario with the 41st Rescue Squadron, an active duty Air Force unit based out of Moody AFB in Georgia. This mission included a scenario of a simulated patient alongside ground forces, a simulated Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and an HH-60W and ALIA aircraft. The HH-60W transported the casualty from a forward operating base (FOB) to an operating location located in friendly territory, then returned to the FOB with the QRF. The ALIA flew the patient from the operating location to medical care relieving the HH-60W crew, and completed the first CASEVAC and first direct operations mission with USAF for an electric aircraft. This scenario demonstrates key impacts that electric aviation can have on military services, including an increase in response time at the FOB.
This simulated mission also demonstrated a decrease in resources required via electric aviation. A similar C‑130 patient transport requires similar runway length and would require a crew of at least 3 and approximately USD1,600 in fuel. The ALIA accomplished this with a crew of two and an energy cost of approximately USD5 in electricity.
Executed a Maintenance Recovery Team Mission
ALIA completed a simulated Maintenance Recovery Team (MRT) mission, delivering assets for an F‑35 Lightning II which landed at Duke Field. BETA’s electric aircraft flew to Tyndall AFB to pick up the simulated part and bring it back to the aircraft in need. The mission has implications for training, exercise and operational maintenance responses.
The ability to fly an MRT at distances normally relegated to driving opens possibilities for cost and man-hour savings. The cost estimate for a maintenance response of a home-unit based ALIA, involving two flight legs, would be approximately USD25 in electricity and one hour of flight time. A standard F‑250, covering the same geographical distance, would cost approximately USD45 in fuel and equate approximately four hours of driving.
A faster response time allows maintenance to be performed on the same-day and can directly improve downtime for advanced aircraft, resulting in further reduced costs.

(USAF Photo: Credit — Samuel King Jr.)
Integrating and Growing BETA’s Charge Network
The BETA team flew ALIA from Duke to Valdosta, Georgia, transiting through Decatur to officially commission the BETA charger at Valdosta Regional Airport. BETA is also validating mobile charging solutions for contingency and austere operating locations.
This deployment is a significant next step for BETA and the DoD via the AFWERX Agility Prime Program. Through this partnership, BETA became the first electric aircraft developer to receive an airworthiness certificate for manned flight from the military, and has also conducted the industry’s only manned qualitative evaluation flights with test pilots from the Air Force and Army.
BETA continues to progress development of its ALIA CTOL and ALIA VTOL towards FAA certification, anticipating entry into service in 2025 and 2026. Late last year, the company opened a 188,500 sq. ft aircraft production facility in South Burlington, Vermont, to manufacture the aircraft.
For more information
https://afwerx.com/divisions/prime/agility-prime/
(Top image: USAF Photo: Credit — Samuel King Jr.)
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