NTU completes flight tests of Singapore-developed eVTOL demonstrators

Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has finished flight testing two electric vertical take-off and landing demonstrator aircraft, built under a national research programme.

The tests ran in July at the German Aerospace Center's flight-test facility in Cochstedt, Germany. Two prototypes took part: a larger version with an 8-metre wingspan and a smaller one with a 3-metre wingspan. Between them, the aircraft flew nearly 40 test flights.

The larger aircraft logged 43 minutes of flight time and reached an altitude of 92 metres. The smaller one flew for 108 minutes and reached 60 metres. Both types hit forward speeds of up to 120 km/h. Each demonstrator carries eight rotors on the wings for vertical lift, plus a rear pusher propeller for cruising flight. Both were flown remotely, with one pilot handling the hover phase by line of sight and a second taking over once the aircraft switched to fixed-wing flight.

The programme is led by NTU professor and former AgustaWestland research chief James Wang. It has run for three years and received about S$25 million (roughly $19.7 million) in government funding. A team of around 30 people designed the airframes, motor systems and flight-control software, with additional support from Eaton Aerospace, Embention and Flare Dynamics.

The larger demonstrator was shown publicly at this year's Singapore Airshow before being shipped to Germany for testing. Wang said turning the design into a commercial product remains uncertain, and no timeline has been given for that step.