The French company Ascendance presented the concept of a five-seat hybrid aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing ATEA. It is made according to the scheme of a longitudinal biplane with fans installed directly in the front and rear wings.
Over the past few years, dozens of companies have started developing small vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Among them there are fully electric ones like Joby and Mk-5, and hybrid ones like TriFan 600 or Starling Jet . The latter, as a rule, have a longer flight range.
Ascendance on December 1 presented the concept of a five-seat hybrid aircraft ATEA. This is a longitudinal biplane, which has eight fans installed directly in the front and rear wings.
ATEA will be able to fly more than 400 kilometers and stay in the air for up to two hours, so it is suitable for long-distance trips, emergency medical missions or patrols. At the same time, the aircraft will be four times quieter than a helicopter. It will be equipped with a modular hybrid-electric power plant Sterna of the French company's own design.
By 2023, Ascendance plans to start testing ATEA, and in 2025 — to mass production.
Earlier we wrote about the American company Bell Helicopter, which patented a four-screw tiltrotor made according to the scheme of a longitudinal biplane. This scheme, according to the developers, makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the aircraft and increase its load capacity.
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva
