US Navy Contracts Electra to Design Ship-Based eSTOL Logistics Aircraft

US Navy has contracted Electra to explore the use of its eSTOL aircraft for logistics missions in contested environments.

Electra will collaborate with the US Navy to define specific use cases and conduct a conceptual design study.

The design study will evaluate how its aircraft can “address unique navy capability gaps”.

Electra’s director of technology said that the company can help the US Navy address the next-gen aviation logistics challenges.

Electra’s aircraft has a blown-wing design and hybrid-electric distributed propulsion system.

The aircraft can cover a distance of up to 804 km at a speed of 321 km per hour.

The aircraft can take off and land from an area measuring 91 m by 30 m, three times shorter than the flight decks of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

Electra signed similar deals with the US Army and US Air Force earlier.