Beta building a second, fixed-wing electric aircraft for cargo and passengers
Beta Technologies, the electric aircraft manufacturer based in South Burlington, announced Tuesday it has developed a second, fixed-wing model of its vertical take-off and landing aircraft −the Alia-250 − called the CX300.
The CX300 takes off and lands like a conventional airplane, and has already attracted orders from customers including United Therapeutics, Bristow, and Air New Zealand. The CX300 is known as an eCTOL aircraft, while the Alia-250 is an eVTOL aircraft.
"We have been flying our eCTOL prototype airport-to-airport for a few years now to drive technological advancements in propulsion and systems and now we're seeing that there is a clear market for this product in addition to our eVTOL aircraft," Beta's Founder and CEO Kyle Clark said in a statement.
Beta said the CX300 has hit "key milestones," including:
Flying more than 22,000 miles.
Crossing multiple state lines.
Completing qualitative evaluation flights with FAA, Air Force and Army test pilots.
Closing a range of over 386 miles.
Beta targets 2025 for delivery of fixed-wing aircraft
Beta applied for FAA certification for the CX300 last year and is targeting 2025 for delivery of the aircraft to customers. The fixed-wing aircraft shares the same airframe, batteries, propulsion and systems as the Alia-250, which is already advancing through the FAA certification process, according to the news release.
Air New Zealand said it will order three CX-300 aircraft, with an option for 20 more. Beta did not disclose the price of the aircraft.
"We see this new aircraft as an opportunity to get to market sooner than we otherwise would have, which is good for the growth of the business and, in turn, good for growing more jobs in Vermont," a Beta spokesperson said.
Air New Zealand's Chief Sustainability Officer Kiri Hannifin said in a statement that a "more sustainable aviation sector" will take the efforts of more than a single airline or organization.
"It will require world leading innovators like Beta to develop zero emissions aircraft technology, and partnerships between airlines and innovators to ensure such technology is viable for commercial flying," Hannifin said.
Bristow, based in Houston, has put down a deposit for up to 50 CX300 aircraft, which comes in addition to the company's original order for five Alia-250 aircraft, with an option for up to 55 more.
"As a continuation of our original partnership with Beta on their Alia-250 eVTOL, the CX300 gives us additional capability to introduce electric and sustainable aviation to our customer base around the world," Bristow Chief Transformation Officer Dave Stepanek said in a statement. "We see many opportunities to supply logistics and personnel transport with (the) CX300 once the aircraft is certified."
Beta's first customer adds order for CX300
United Therapeutics has placed an order for an unspecified number of CX300 aircraft, in addition to the Alia-250 aircraft is has already ordered to transport its manufactured organs for transplantation and medical equipment for transplant, according to the news release. Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, United Therapeutics was Beta's first customer.
Beta received the go-ahead last April to build a 344,000-square-feet assembly plant at Burlington International Airport, near Pete's RV Center on Williston Road, where both the Alia-250 and CX300 will be manufactured. The company said Tuesday it is in the final stages of construction on the plant, and is on track to begin manufacturing aircraft this summer.
Beta also announced last April it had raised $375 million in a second round of financing, bringing its total financing to $796 million, an unprecedented amount in Vermont, according to David Bradbury of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies.
Beta was founded in 2017 by Kyle Clark, growing from a handful of employees to about 450 employees today.
Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Beta Technologies will offer a fixed-wing aircraft to its customers
