In an interview with Defensehere.com, Chief Customer Officer at Ascendance Flight Technologies, Thibault Baldivia introduced the vertical take-off and landing aircraft ATEA.
ATEA can take off vertically using the 8 rotors it has on the wings using full electrical power and cruise with the two propellers which are situated on the nose and the tail of the aircraft. Ascendance Flight Technologies’ hybrid propulsion system allows the aircraft to fly with a reduction in carbon emissions and lower fuel consumption. With a range of 400 km, ATEA can carry one pilot and four passengers at a speed of 200 km/hours. The fields of operation of ATEA are cargo transportation, with the ability to carry up to 400 kg of payload, emergency medical missions and surveillance missions. Baldivia also gave the example of coastal surveillance for border control. He also mentioned that the aircraft has already been pre-ordered by several customers around the world.
Baldivia also spoke about the first flight of life-size prototype, which will be next year in the company’s premises in Toulouse, France and continued: “We are planning on a certification by 2027 in Europe first, then expanding FAE in the US and of course in other regulatory bodies throughout the world.”
