Electra Aero Receives USD1.9 Million SBIR Contract from U.S Army
Electra Aero, the manufacturer of electric Short Take-Off and Landing (eSTOL) aircraft, has received a USD1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S Army, for powered wind tunnel testing of its hybrid-powered craft, reports a press release.
The release states, “The award enables the U.S Army to explore Electra’s unique blown wing aircraft technology potential to broaden America’s military capabilities, especially for fuel-efficient, resilient logistics in contested environments.”
Electra’s eSTOL is a new category of aircraft, combining helicopter-like operational flexibility with superior fixed wing-like performance and operating costs.
“The innovative combination of blown lift and eight distributed electric motors significantly increases wing lift,” continues the release, “that enables ultra-short takeoffs and landings from spaces as small as a soccer field, and dramatically reduces noise and fuel use compared to conventional aircraft and helicopters.”
Hybrid-electric power ensures ranges beyond 1,000 miles for national security applications without the need for battery charging stations.

Ben Marchionna
Ben Marchionna, Electra’s Director of Technology and Innovation, commented, “There is a substantial benefit to employing the right-sized aircraft for a given payload-range mission. It’s a very effective method to substantially reduce fuel use in combat theatre, which really matters for enabling distributed operations in contested locations.”
He continued, “Many of the most commonly deployed military logistics solutions in use today are flown well below their intended payload capacity. Our eSTOL aircraft can fulfil such missions while using dramatically less fuel, providing more range, operating at significantly reduced noise levels, and utilising the same constrained operational ground footprints.”
The powered wind tunnel testing will advance Electra’s “novel aerodynamics database” for use in performance analysis, simulator and control law development.
These trials, combined with ground tests and the ongoing flight test program of Electra’s eSTOL technology demonstrator aircraft, are to be used to help guide the design and development of Electra’s production aircraft.
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(Top image: Electric Aero)
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