Electra and The Atlas Group have struck an airframe agreement for the EL9 ultra-short hybrid-electric aircraft, with Atlas to manufacture and assemble the first EL9 airframes for Electra’s flight-test and certification programme. Work is due to begin in September 2026, and first deliveries are expected in 2027.
The deal covers the G0 and G1 prototype and flight-test aircraft and shifts early industrial work to Atlas’s facilities in Wichita, Kansas. Electra, based in Manassas, Virginia, is developing the nine-passenger EL9 as an ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft designed to operate from very short runways.
Electra is targeting commercial entry into service in 2030 and has cited more than 2,200 preliminary orders from over 60 operators. The company is using blown-lift aerodynamics and distributed electric propulsion, with a turbogenerator providing onboard electrical power for regional range and payload. The agreement comes as the programme moves deeper into certification and toward scaled production.