Toulouse, France: Just two months after acquiring VoltAero’s assets, AURA AERO on September 16 returned the Cassio S hybrid-electric demonstrator to flight at Rochefort Airport, under its new name: X-VOLT.
One of the first hybrid-electric demonstrators to build up significant real-world flight experience, X-VOLT is now a valuable technological asset for AURA AERO. Its flight data, patented technologies and lessons learned from several years of flight testing will complement the work already carried out by the company on INTEGRAL E and ERA.
X-VOLT will now serve as a flying testbed for ERA propulsion technologies, supporting the development of AURA AERO’s future 19-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft, whose first flight is scheduled for late 2027.
Equipped with Safran ENGINeUS electric motors, also selected for ERA, X-VOLT will enable AURA AERO to test key elements of the aircraft’s future propulsion system under real-world flight conditions before they are integrated into the prototype. X-VOLT will also be able to integrate and flight-test, in flight, advanced systems developed by AURA AERO or by industry partners seeking a flight-test platform.
With more than 350 hybrid or electric flights completed by X-VOLT and INTEGRAL E, AURA AERO is drawing on the experience of two pioneering programmes to accelerate the development of a new generation of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft.
