Electra.aero, Inc. has secured a $1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Army to advance its hybrid-electric powertrain and propulsion technology for potential use in current and future Army aviation platforms.
According to a statement from the company, the new contract will support a broad effort to mature hybrid-electric propulsion systems and evaluate their operational advantages, particularly in contested environments and austere locations.
The research will focus on the propulsion architecture developed for Electra’s EL9 aircraft, a nine-passenger ultra-short takeoff and landing (Ultra-STOL) fixed-wing platform currently under development.
“This work gives the Army a clear path forward in understanding how hybrid-electric technologies can support real operational demands, while enabling entirely new logistics capabilities,” said Donn Yates, Vice President of Government Programs at Electra.
Under the 18-month agreement, Electra will carry out a series of technology maturation and risk reduction activities, including trade studies, flight testing, modeling, and simulations. The goal is to provide the Army with test data and analysis to better understand the performance trade-offs, fuel efficiency gains, and tactical flexibility associated with operating hybrid-electric systems.
The company’s EL2 prototype has already demonstrated ultra-short takeoffs and landings in under 150 feet, validating the core performance claims behind Electra’s design. The upcoming EL9 is being positioned as a dual-use solution with both commercial and military applications, capable of operating from helicopter-sized landing zones while offering the range, safety, and payload benefits of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Electra emphasized the potential for the EL9 to conduct agile basing, contested logistics missions, and provide mobile power generation in forward operating areas. The aircraft’s quiet operation and compact deployment footprint make it suited for missions in constrained or unpredictable environments.
Electra is also continuing flight tests of its EL2 demonstrator, one of the few clean-sheet hybrid-electric aircraft to fly worldwide. In December 2024, Electra became the first company to fly the head of a U.S. government agency—NASA Administrator Bill Nelson—aboard an electric aircraft, underlining the platform’s maturity and visibility at the federal level.
Last week, Electra also announced a memorandum of understanding with Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division. According to the companies, the partnership will focus on further developing the EL9 through collaboration on digital engineering, advanced manufacturing, sustainment, and global business development.
In a joint release, the two companies stated that they will explore opportunities to integrate the EL9 into Department of Defense programs and evaluate its potential for allied use.