Electra.aero recently demonstrated its EL2 hybrid-electric demonstrator STOL aircraft as part of the Pentagon’s Thunderstorm 24-4 “expeditionary operations” technology showcase exercise. On November 26, the U.S. company confirmed its participation in the three-day event that was held near Fredricksburg, Virginia, earlier this month.
Thunderstorm 24-4 was sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Electra’s two-seat EL2 model, which is being used to develop the nine-seat EL9 aircraft, has already participated in three other U.S. government flight demonstrations in 2024. These included short takeoff and landing demonstrations at the Marine Corps Air Facility in Quantico, Felker Army Airfield at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and NASA’s Langley Research Center.
In addition to civil missions, such as regional airline services, Electra is pitching the blown-wing EL9 for military applications that could include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions and casualty evacuation. During the Thunderstorm demonstration, the company recorded overflight noise levels of 55 dB at 500 feet, which it said compared with 75 dB from a conventional turbine aircraft.
The EL9 production aircraft, for which Electra is targeting type certification in 2029, is expected to provide 600 kilowatts of continuous power with one megawatt available for short bursts. On this basis, Electra said it will be able to operate in areas where no charging infrastructure is available and be used by the military to recharge other equipment, such as communications equipment and smaller uncrewed air systems.
Last year, the U.S. Air Force Afwerx research and technology unit awarded Electra contracts worth up to $85 million to develop a full-scale contested logistics aircraft. The company has also received funding for work from the U.S. Navy and the Army, as well as from NASA for its AACES sustainable airliner project.
“The EL2 aircraft’s participation at Thunderstorm demonstrated Electra’s ability to create a novel, dual-use, logistics-enabling aircraft that is also capable of quiet, expeditionary operations,” said Hank Griffiths, Afwerx’s chief of test and evaluation. “The next step is to demonstrate how these capabilities can scale with their nine-passenger aircraft.”
