Heaviside takes a step forward for Agility Prime
Kitty Hawk has demonstrated automated and remote flight capabilities of the Heaviside eVTOL aircraft. (Photo: Kitty Hawk)
Flight tests of US electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft are about to enter the next stage.
The USAF has granted airworthiness approval to the Heaviside electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft under the AFWERX Agility Prime electric aircraft programme.
‘With this award, the Heaviside aircraft is able to enter its next phase of flight testing under Air Force direction,’ the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced on 16 July.
Flight tests under AFRL supervision aim to explore the unique attributes of Heaviside and its potential use by military and commercial operators.
Heaviside manufacturer Kitty Hawk is the fourth AFWERX Agility Prime partner to achieve airworthiness in less than 12 months.
Col Nathan Diller, director of AFWERX, said that airworthiness authorisation in the Agility Prime programme ‘not only unlocks the opportunity to begin Air Force directed flight tests, but it also shows the high level of maturity of this technology'.
AFWERX recently conducted its first medevac exercise with an eVTOL vehicle using Heaviside. The aircraft is designed to operate at a range of 100 miles (160km) on a single charge with sound levels of 38dB at 1,000ft.
This means that Heaviside should be 100 times quieter than a conventional helicopter and requires half of the energy per mile of an electric car.
The eVTOL aircraft can be remotely piloted or operated in autonomous flight mode.
More from Air Warfare
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: Portugal signs for sixth C-390 Millennium aircraft with 10 options for future European acquisition]()
Paris Air Show 2025: Portugal signs for sixth C-390 Millennium aircraft with 10 options for future European acquisition
Portugal was the second country to purchase the C-390 Millennium aircraft for its air force, originally signing for five aircraft in 2019. This order marks the first time an operator has signed an additional order for the C-390.
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: Lockheed says TR-3 upgrade “closing in” on completion]()
Paris Air Show 2025: Lockheed says TR-3 upgrade “closing in” on completion
The TR-3 configured F-35 aircraft have rolled off production lines since July 2024, but are still not yet combat capable and are still awaiting final sign-off for the software upgrade.
-
![Further funding allocated for Eurofighter Typhoon ECRS Mk2 radar programme]()
Further funding allocated for Eurofighter Typhoon ECRS Mk2 radar programme
The latest tranche of funding from the UK government comes ahead of the radar's integration into Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from 2028.
-
![M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force]()
M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force
The Leonardo M-345 High-Efficiency Trainer (HET) basic/advanced trainer is similar to the M-346, which is the second part of the Italian Air Force’s training system, but is a substantially smaller and less powerful aircraft.
