Vertical Aerospace opens Kemble assembly site, high-volume plant decision pending

Vertical Aerospace has opened its first manufacturing site, at Kemble airfield in southwest England. The company says the plant can build 25 to 26 aircraft a year on two shifts, or 37 on three.

According to chief executive Stuart Simpson, the facility will support certification of the company's Valo electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and early customer deliveries. Assembly of the first Kemble-built aircraft, a production-conforming flight-test article for the certification campaign, is due to begin in the fourth quarter of next year, after a critical design review milestone in late 2026. That aircraft is expected to roll out in early 2028, with a first flight later in the first half of the year.

Two further UK sites are still to be decided, Simpson said: a battery "gigafactory" and a separate plant for high-volume assembly of the Valo. One location is settled and options remain for the other, he said, with announcements promised for both before Christmas. The high-volume plant is planned to be capable of producing up to 1,000 Valo aircraft annually.

"It's a big decision," Simpson said of the remaining site choice, adding that it had to be right for the company over the long term.

The company has formalised an agreement with the UK government, disclosed in July, for a grant of at least £10 million ($13 million), and Simpson said discussions continue on further support. He said the UK performs well in research and development but that manufacturing generates the larger share of job growth. Both new facilities are to be in the UK.