Vertical flight solutions provider Bristow has placed a firm order for five ALIA-250 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, developed by BETA Technologies, a company specialising in the development and manufacture of this type of aerial vehicle. In addition, it will retain an option to purchase a further fifty aircraft.
“By leveraging our more than seventy years of expertise as a leader in vertical lift, we plan to use the ALIA-250 to safely and reliably move passengers and time-sensitive cargo as part of the development of new regional mobility networks in the United States and other strategic locations”, said Dave Stepanek, Executive VP and Chief Transformation Officer at Barrow.
The ALIA-250
The aircraft will be available in two versions: passenger and freight. According to its developer, it will have a maximum range of 250 nautical miles (463 kilometres). It will carry up to five passengers or up to 1.400 pounds of payload (635 kilograms) and will be operated by a single pilot.
The aircraft uses a single distributed direct electric propulsion system, with four rotors providing vertical lift and a single propeller at the rear to propel the aircraft horizontally. Its maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 6.999 pounds (3.174 kilograms).
In addition, the battery can be fully charged in fifty minutes. BETA Technologies developed its own charging infrastructure, but it can also be deployed as a stand-alone device to facilitate operations or integrated into a special platform for multi-site applications.
“Over the past few months, we have made strides with our flight test program, proving the aircraft is capable of performing in conditions it will see in service”, said Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of BETA Technologies. “We are gratified by Bristow’s confidence in our continued progress, and we look forward to partnering to provide a safe and sustainable system to transform regional transportation”, he added.
