Electra has completed wind tunnel testing for the EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft, which successfully proved the manufacturer’s claims that the blown wing design can deliver the high lift needed for takeoff and landing in 150 feet.
The testing was funded by the US Army through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract and used a 20% scale model of the EL9 wing, demonstrating lift coefficients greater than 20. The outcome of the tests confirms that the aircraft’s approach and landing meet FAA Part 23 safety and stall margin requirements.
“This is a major milestone in demonstrating the EL9’s ability to take off and land in spaces never before possible for fixed-wing aircraft,” said Chris Courtin, Director of Technology Development at Electra. “Verification of the effectiveness of the optimised EL9 wing shows that the EL9 is both transformative and practical. These results give us high confidence in our ability to accurately predict the impacts of electric blown lift on the aircraft, bringing us closer to making our vision of Direct Aviation a reality.”
Following the wind tunnel testing, Electra will now continue to refine the EL9’s design and conduct further tests with the EL2 demonstrator. First flight tests are expected for 2027, with certification hoped for by 2029.
Photo: Electra
