Composites Use in Advanced Air Mobility
Urban air mobility (UAM), sometimes referred to as advanced air mobility (AAM), is a market that continues to evolve and mature. Aircraft of this genre are designed to perform one of two functions. One is to provide piloted or autonomous air taxi service, transporting people from point A to point B (heliport/airport-to-heliport/airport) over a distance of 25-400 kilometers, intracity or intercity. The second function is to provide autonomous cargo transport in similar environments.
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Beta completes Alia CTOL deployments with two U.S. DOD major commands
On-base and cross-country missions were conducted with the Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command via multi-day and day-long exercises to evaluate Beta’s composite aircraft with real-world scenarios.
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Joby demonstrator makes 523-mile hydrogen-electric flight
Hydrogen-electric program builds on technology developed by H2FLY subsidiary, demonstrates potential for emissions-free regional travel using Joby’s all-composite eVTOL aircraft.
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Stellantis invests additional $55 million in Archer
Following Midnight’s recent flight test milestone, the automaker’s strategic funding agreement buildings on $39 million worth of Archer stock and $110 million investment in 2023.
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Eve receives $94 million additional equity to support eVTOL development
New capital financing includes equity injection participation from large strategic industrial companies and diversified investors.
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AIR presents cargo-focused eVTOL aircraft
AIR’s eVTOL offerings now include an unmanned variation of AIR One for cargo and logistics use, featuring its agile design across different use cases.
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Eve names suppliers for eVTOL windows, doors and fuselage
Long-term supply agreements include KRD for windows, Latecoere for the aircraft’s doors, as well as Rallc and Alltec supplying composites expertise for fuselage development.
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CompositesWorld’s CW Tech Days: Infrastructure event offers a series of expert presentations on composite materials, processes and applications that should and will be considered for use in the infrastructure and construction markets.
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Latest Advanced Air Mobility News And Updates
Midnight production aircraft completes full transition flight
This is Archer’s second full-scale eVTOL aircraft to achieve this milestone, critical to being able to carry commercially viable passenger payloads.
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Archer announces Part 135 certification to begin operating commercial aircraft
The composite eVTOL developer has now received two key operational certificates required from the FAA to begin operations when Midnight receives type certification.
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Aura Aero ERA aircraft program issues tenders for fuselage design, airframe engineering
The 19-seat hybrid-electric aircraft was conceived to use composite and metal construction. Aura Aero has signed a PAC with EASA to finalize the framework for its CS-23 category certification.
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FAA issues final airworthiness criteria for Midnight aircraft
Final airworthiness criteria provides a solidified path for Archer to achieve type certification for its eVTOL aircraft.
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Horizon Aircraft provides update on technical flight testing
Positive progress during eVTOL prototype testing approaches full transition to forward flight, aids in final full-scale aircraft design for completion and testing in 2026.
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Lilium looks to France to establish high-volume eVTOL production
Lilium is keen to expand its industrial footprint through leveraging of France’s aerospace heritage and vast supplier base in aerospace and electrification, in preparation for the eVTOL aircraft market demand.
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Featured Posts
How composites have become a necessity
Composites used to be one of many material options across industries and applications, but that's not the case anymore.
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Plant tour: Joby Aviation, Marina, Calif., U.S.
As the advanced air mobility market begins to take shape, market leader Joby Aviation works to industrialize composites manufacturing for its first-generation, composites-intensive, all-electric air taxi.
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Composites opportunities in eVTOLs
As eVTOL OEMs seek to advance program certification, production scale-up and lightweighting, AAM’s penetration into the composites market is moving on an upward trajectory.
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Composites end markets: Aerospace (2023)
With COVID in the past and passengers flying again, commercial aircraft production is ramping up. The aerocomposites supply chain is busy developing new M&P for an approaching next-generation aircraft program.
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We're going to need a lot of propeller blades
As advanced air mobility expands and annual shipsets get into the thousands, the demand for composite propeller blades is expected to skyrocket. What are the implications for the composites supply chain?
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Overair's Butterfly eVTOL prototype to integrate composites-intensive design
Aiming for first flight tests in the latter half of 2023, Overair’s Butterfly aircraft uses Toray carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg strategically to cut weight on its battery-powered, quiet aircraft.
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FAQ: Advanced Air Mobility
What is urban air mobility?
- Urban air mobility (UAM), sometimes called advanced air mobility (AAM), is an emerging aerospace market. These aircraft can be piloted or autonomous, designed for cargo transport or as air taxis for transporting people intercity or intracity.
- Source: Composites end markets: Aerospace
What is an eVTOL?
Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are some of the first models to be developed for the urban air mobility market.
They are powered by electric propulsion (generally batteries), and are designed to take off and land vertically. These can include propeller-centric, helicopter-style aircraft as well as fixed-wing aircraft.
How are composites being used in urban air mobility?
UAM aircraft are in various stages of development. Most, if not all, are using composites to some extent for aircraft bodies, wings or other components. The focus has been on technologies that are already qualified for commercial aircraft use – such as hand layup and autoclave cure of prepreg carbon fiber/epoxy.
As progress continues, additional composite materials such as thermoplastic composites will likely become more widely used.
