Defence chiefs are in talks to use near-silent electric “flying taxis” to carry supplies and senior officers to the front line.
Vertical Aerospace, whose Valo aircraft is expected to enter service from 2030, said it was in high-level discussions about potential orders from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Pentagon.
Stuart Simpson, the start-up’s chief executive, said the Valo was well-suited to fulfilling logistics requirements on the battlefield. It could also be weaponised for a combat role or used for transferring personnel between Royal Navy vessels.
Discussions with a number of Western militaries concern a hybrid version of the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) craft, which would use a small gas turbine to recharge its batteries.
Mr Simpson said the hybrid aircraft would still be able to land in near silence, while doubling its potential payload to more than a ton.
He said: “We are having discussions right at the top of the house with the military. We’ve got some fantastic connections both here and across the pond. We talk to all the forces at a very senior level.
“For battlefield logistics, you can take off silently, cruise in near silence and then land in silence. At cruising altitude, the gas turbine is so small you can barely hear it.”
The aircraft could also be flown autonomously, without a pilot, Mr Simpson said.
The Valo’s battery packs could be used to power electrical equipment on the front line as an alternative to diesel generators.
Vertical Aerospace claims the rival eVTOLs being developed by California-based Joby and Archer are less suited to a battlefield environment, arguing they are too small to be refitted with hybrid engines.
The Bristol-based start-up, which has previously raised hundreds of millions of pounds in funding, plans to remove four of Valo’s eight batteries to create space for a fuel tank.
Mr Simpson, a former chief executive of Royal Mail, said: “We are the only ones that have got an airframe large enough to do this. They’d have to redesign their aircraft, perhaps three to five to seven years behind us.”
Stuart Simpson, the chief executive of Val, says the Valo will be able to land in near silence on the battlefield - Jeff Gilbert
He said that an eVTOL would also be cheaper to operate than a helicopter, with a lower purchase price and operating costs of $1,200 (£900) to $1,500 an hour, versus $6,000 to $10,000.
“It’s a very dramatic difference and it’s why we know that the military are very interested,” he said. The aircraft should also require less time out of action for servicing.
Vertical Aerospace is in the running for military programmes after the war in Ukraine and Iranian drone strikes in the Gulf have highlighted the capabilities of smaller, cheaper weapons.
The MoD’s newly published defence investment plan will mark a shift away from expensive war-fighting equipment towards large numbers of cheaper weapons, including £5bn of attack drones.
Mr Simpson said: “The rules have changed and the capabilities have to change.”
Vertical is also monitoring the Royal Air Force’s “loyal wingman” programme, which calls for a “swarm” of drone craft to fly in formation with manned fighter jets to handle tasks such as electronic warfare and reconnaissance.
The hybrid Valo will have a range of 1,000 miles, or 400 miles with a 1.2-tonne payload, compared with 100 miles for the electric-only version.
While Vertical’s aircraft have been billed as a kind of urban “flying taxi”, its hybrid engine would allow the Valo to travel comfortably between European cities with a full load and six passengers.
Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 prototype was three months late in testing its ability to switch between vertical takeoff and horizontal flight. This means its plan to seek certification from UK and EU regulators in 2028 could slip.
However, Mr Simpson said the Valo should be ready to enter service by the end of the decade. The company plans to build 900 a year by 2035.
Vertical is scouting out separate sites for a battery factory and a production line. Mr Simpson said the company was seeking a support package to keep the business in Britain. He said he had visited No 10 “five times in the past year”.
