A³ by Airbus Vahana

A³ by Airbus

Manufacturer

Vahana

Modell

Vahana is a project developed at A³, the Silicon Valley outpost of Airbus. A³ enables access to unique talent and ideas, new partnership opportunities, and execution at speed. Vahana aims to democratize personal flight and answer the growing need for urban mobility by leveraging the latest technologies in electric propulsion, energy storage, and machine vision.

A³ by Airbus

Number of Passengers

50 miles

Range

108 m/h

Cruising Speed

Rated Payload

Cruising Duration

unknown

Charging Time

Number of Engines / Propellers / Rotors

Wingspan

unknown

Aircraft Net Weight

VTOL

Take-off and Landing

Full Electric

Propulsion

* VTOL (vertical take-off and landing), CTOL (conventional take-off and landing), STOL (short take-off and landing), STOVL (short take-off and vertical landing)

A³ by Airbus

Project Vahana started in early 2016 as one of the first projects at A³ (pronounced “A-cubed”), the advanced projects and partnerships outpost of Airbus Group in Silicon Valley. At Vahana, we are passionate about personal flight. The aircraft we’re building doesn’t need a runway, is self-piloted, and can automatically detect and avoid obstacles and other aircraft. Designed to carry a single passenger or cargo, we’re aiming to make it the first certified passenger aircraft without a pilot. We aim to fly a full-size prototype before the end of 2017, and to have a productizable demonstrator by 2020.

Beyond developing the vehicle itself, we’re seeking to move key technology categories forward, foster development of the regulatory regime for the certification and operation of automated aircraft, and to otherwise nurture an ecosystem that will help enable the vertical cities of the future.

We believe that this degree of openness will push the industry as a whole forward, and we hope that others will follow our example.