Horizon Aircraft expects growing eVTOL interest from the military and defence sector

New Horizon Aircraft, doing business as Horizon Aircraft, an advanced aerospace engineering company and developer of the world’s first hybrid electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, expects to see growing interest from the military and the defence sector in the eVTOL sector.

Brandon Robinson, CEO and Co-Founder of Horizon Aircraft, flew CF-18s in the Royal Canadian Air Force for two decades. He explains: “The military is focused on fact-finding and growing its knowledge of the eVTOL sector and developing a better understanding of how it can be used in operations.”

Horizon says the high-speed and long-range capabilities of their unique hybrid eVTOL design means they can be used for rapid deployment of advanced troop insertions and transporting equipment to remote areas at the same speed as an MV-22 Osprey. They can also be very effective in military search and rescue missions and medical evacuations.

Hybrid eVTOLs can also deliver improved military maintenance efficiency with a lower cost/time per flight hour. The military has made a firm commitment to sustainability and the Horizon Aircraft Cavorite X7 hybrid eVTOL is much more environmentally friendly aircraft than traditional helicopters. It achieves this through a combination of eVTOL hovering and efficient turboprop cruise flight.

In July 2024, Horizon Aircraft appointed Phil Kelly as Senior Vice President Business Development. His military experience includes flying Sea Harrier FA2, Harrier GR7/9A and F/A-18E/F aircraft to being Head of Aircraft Development for the Royal Navy, where he led eVTOL development and introduced the F-35B for the UK Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

Commenting on the Cavorite X7, Phil Kelly said: “It is an exceptional and unique aircraft in its ability to offer high-speed and long-range capabilities relative to helicopters and pure eVTOLs, and it could play a key role in supporting discrete military operations with a reduced acoustic signature. Now that our flight testing is well underway, we are looking to increase our dialogue with the military to discuss how we could support missions that were previously not possible at this payload scale for them. I see it as an ideal commando team insertion platform, an aircraft capable of hosting radars and other sensors with significant excess electrical power available (est. 100kW) briefly used to recharge eVTOL batteries, and it has great CASEVAC potential.”

Horizon Aircraft’s Cavorite X7.

Horizon Aircraft’s Cavorite X7 aircraft will have a gross weight of an estimated 5,500 lbs with a projected useful load of 1,500 lbs. With an estimated maximum speed of 250 miles per hour and an average range of over 500 miles with fuel reserves, Horizon believes that this experimental aircraft, if eventually licensed for commercial use, would be well-positioned to excel in medical evacuation, critical supply delivery, disaster relief, and special military missions. The Company believes that the proposed aircraft would also be attractive for Regional Air Mobility - moving people and cargo 50 to 500 miles.

Unlike many in its category, the Cavorite X7 is being designed with a hybrid electric power system. The Company is designing the Cavorite X7 such that it will, after its vertical takeoff, re-charge its batteries enroute when it is flying in a configuration like a traditional aircraft. After a vertical landing and completion of a mission, the Company is designing the Cavorite X7 to recharge its own battery array requiring no ground charging infrastructure to be ready for its next mission. A wing fold capability is present in the prototype in flight test which will likely be a feature of a military version enabling air portability and ship borne operations.

Horizon believes that its innovative approach and technology will allow the Cavorite X7 to fly 98% of its mission in a very low-drag configuration like a traditional aircraft. The Company believes that flying most of the time as a normal aircraft is also safer and will make the aircraft easier to certify than other radical new eVTOL designs. The Cavorite X7 will be powered by a hybrid electric system that will recharge the battery array in-flight and post-flight, while also providing significant system redundancy. The Company is continuing the testing of its 50%-scale aircraft that it believes will reduce technical risk moving forward as it continues to develop its full-scale aircraft.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 13th March 2025 | Issue #787

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