Manta Aircraft (Sesto Calende, Italy) and Chinese aircraft manufacturer Shenyang Aviation Industries Group (Liaoning) are establishing a partnership to develop the Manta Ann hybrid electric vertical and short takeoff and landing (VTOL/STOL) aircraft for regional air mobility (RAM), a sector of the advanced air mobility (AAM) market.

Manta’s Ann aircraft are highly composites-intensive. The partnership will focus on the development of the Ann Plus vehicle, which offers 4-6 seats, a hybrid propulsion system — coupled with four optimized ducted fans for hovering and four for cruising — and a fully carbon fiber structure. The multipurpose air vehicle is for personal mobility, business travel, special and cargo transport operations. With a range of 300 kilometers for VTOL operation and up to 1,000 kilometers using a short airstrip for STOL operation, it offers mission flexibility, regardless of infrastructure. Its large radius is said to enable extended missions without refueling, while batteries are recharged in flight, making it ideal for scenarios like outback, offshore and inter-regional operations. Ideal for both urban and remote locations, it delivers high performance with minimal reliance on ground support.

The project will lead to common R&D activity, production technology for two full-scale prototypes, certification with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and industrialization. It will cover the Chinese and South Asian markets not only for marketing activity but also for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. The partners are supported by Baoding Kaiborui Technologies Co. Ltd. (Baoding, China).

A full-scale mock-up of the Ann Plus model, to be highlighted at this year’s China Airshow, highlights Manta Aircraft’s focus on viability. The aircraft will showcase a conventional canard layout — comprehensively tested via wind tunnel with non-stop computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations — and a hybrid configuration, supported by the development of specific calculation methods for performance prediction, a pilot-in-the-loop simulator and scaled prototypes that have been flown intensively. 

The program also capitalizes on China’s economic focus on the low-altitude economy, which is preparing to integrate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations. Through regulatory reforms, airspace management and the creation of pilot project zones, the country is entering a new era of its general aviation sector.

This partnership also complements a setup of strong R&D partners like Avionord, Naylam, Ycom, Khalifa University and others.