Electra's rapid growth and top engineering talent drive production of the EL9 forward
Electra.aero, Inc. (“Electra”) today announced the expansion of its facilities in Manassas, Virginia, and Bleienbach, Switzerland, to support the company's rapid growth and the development of its nine-passenger hybrid-electric EL9 Ultra Short aircraft.
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Electra's hybrid-electric EL9 Ultra Short is designed to take off and land in spaces as short as 150 feet.
“Electra is on a mission to transform aviation, and expanding our facilities ensures we can continue attracting the world-class engineering talent to design, develop, and commercialize our groundbreaking EL9,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “We're giving our teams the resources they need to get our Ultra Short aircraft into the hands of our customers and deliver on the promise of Direct Aviation, making regional air travel more convenient, affordable, and sustainable.”
At its headquarters at Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia, Electra has opened a new 15,000-square-foot hangar and 6,000-square-foot office space. The expanded facility will house development and engineering teams. This addition complements Electra's existing 36,000-square-foot headquarters facility in Manassas. Electra has more than doubled the size of its workforce in 2025 and will add dozens more engineering team members in the coming year.
In Europe, Electra has also expanded its R&D center in Bleienbach, Switzerland, to nearly 2,000 square feet. The Swiss facility plays a key role in attracting top European talent and advancing the company's global engineering and innovation efforts.
Electra's EL9 is designed to take off and land in spaces as short as 150 feet, using a combination of hybrid-electric propulsion and blown-lift aerodynamics. This capability opens thousands of new access points ranging from small, underserved airports to non-traditional sites such as parking lots or fields, enabling a new era of Direct Aviation. By bypassing congested hubs, the EL9 will connect people and places more directly while cutting travel time, reducing noise, and lowering emissions.
Electra has been showcasing the real-world potential of its Ultra Short takeoff and landing capabilities through nearly two years of successful flight demonstrations of its two-seat EL2 prototype. This year, Electra flew commercial demonstrations from novel airstrips, austere environments, and campus settings at Virginia Tech (video); off-runway operating scenarios in partnership with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Griffiss International Airport (towered) in Rome, NY, for AFRL's Future Flag 25-3 test event; and commercial off-runway demonstrations at Watertown International Airport (untowered) in upstate New York (video). Together, these flights underscore the versatility of Electra's platform for both commercial and defense customers.
Electra plans to begin flight testing the EL9 in 2027, to fly for FAA certification credit in 2028 and 2029, and to get the airplane certified and into service in late 2029, into 2030. To date, the company has secured more than 2,200 provisional orders from over 60 customers worldwide, representing a pipeline of more than $13 billion. To learn more about how Direct Aviation will transform air travel, watch the announcement video.
About Electra
Electra.aero, Inc. (Electra) is an advanced aerospace company building hybrid-electric Ultra Short airplanes that achieve unprecedented performance advantages to fly people and cargo seamlessly without airports, emissions, or noise. With the EL9 Ultra Short, Electra is pioneering Direct Aviation, the next level of connectivity that brings air travel closer to where we live, work, and play. Electra's Ultra Short technology delivers 2.5x the payload and 10x longer range with 70% lower operating costs than helicopters and eVTOLs with significantly greater safety and far less certification risk.
Electra's team includes some of the most respected and successful entrepreneurs and engineers in novel aircraft design, with over 40 prior aircraft successfully developed and/or certified. Lockheed Martin Ventures, Honeywell, and Safran are among Electra's strategic investors along with Prysm Capital, Statkraft Ventures (Norway's sovereign fund), the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), and other private investors. Electra's contracted customers include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy, along with over 2,200 letters of intent from 60+ commercial customers, including both airlines and helicopter operators.
Electra Media Contact:media@electra.aero
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SOURCE Electra.aero
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