Airbus has unveiled its all-electric CityAirbus NextGen prototype ahead of its maiden flight later this year. The two-tonne CityAirbus, with a wingspan of around 12 metres, is being developed to have a range of 80km and a cruise speed of 120km/h.
The unveiling coincided with the opening of the new CityAirbus test centre in Donauwörth, which will be dedicated to testing systems for electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs). The centre, which is part of Airbus' ongoing and long-term investment in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), became operational when the CityAirbus NextGen aircraft went into service in December and will now be used for the remaining tests required before the prototype's first flight later this year. These tests will cover the electric motors with their eight rotors, as well as the aircraft's other systems such as flight controls and avionics.
“Rolling out CityAirbus NextGen for the very first time is an important and very real step that we are taking towards advanced air mobility and our future product and market. Thank you to our community, team and partners all over the world for helping us make this a reality,” said Balkiz Sarihan, Head of Urban Air Mobility at Airbus.
At the same time, Airbus is expanding its global network and partnerships to create a unique ecosystem that will foster a successful and viable AAM market. Airbus recently signed a partnership agreement with LCI aviation company to focus on developing partnership scenarios and business models in three core AAM areas: strategy, commercialisation and financing.
Source: Airbus
