Aura Aero has returned the former VoltAero Cassio S hybrid-electric demonstrator to flight under the new name X-Volt, launching the aircraft from Rochefort in western France. The airframer will use the testbed to support development of its 19-seat ERA regional aircraft, with propulsion work at the centre of the campaign.
The aircraft brings a substantial flight-test record from its time with VoltAero, having first flown in October 2020 and completed more than 270 flights before the transfer. Aura Aero acquired VoltAero’s assets earlier this year and has positioned X-Volt as a reusable development platform rather than a one-off demonstrator. The aircraft is fitted with Safran ENGINeUS electric motors, the same units selected for ERA, allowing the company to evaluate propulsion hardware in flight before it is integrated into the prototype.
Aura Aero also counts X-Volt and its Integral E trainer as a combined flight-test base of more than 350 hybrid-electric or all-electric sorties. That gives the company two active programmes from which to gather operational data as it advances its next-generation electric and hybrid aircraft plans.