Albers Aerospace Invests $1M in Hopflyt

November 18, 2022

Albers Aerospace, the exclusive DoD license holder of the hybrid electrical Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft line designed by Hop Flyt, has invested $1M in Hop Flyt. The investment aims to enhance the design, development, and production of the military versions of the Hop Flyt eVTOL designs and increases the Albers Aerospace equity position in Hop Flyt.

John Albers, President and CEO of Albers Aerospace, says:

“We Believe that progressing this technology for the warfighter with our own capital is paramount in today’s defense budget environment. The innovation eVOTL design will bring much needed capability to the warfighter at an affordable price point and we view pressing towards that goal and using out own resources as good stewardship of resources and demonstration of out commitment to the warfighter.”

The military Hop Flyt versions in work are the “Squall” a Group 2 UAS, the “Cyclone” a Group 2+/3, and the “Vortex” a Group 5. The Squall will be an attributable aircraft capable of ISR and SIGINT missions. The Cyclone will be a long endurance Group 2+/3 aircraft with mission-relatable payloads to meet current and future Warfighter needs. The Vortex will be a hybrid eVTOL that is designed to be capable of flying at 200 knots, at a range of over 500nm with a useful load over 1000 lb. The three airframes make for an impressive, Warfighter relevant, suite of vehicles that can be matched with sensor and other technologies.

Under the license agreement and in mutual support of this unique dual-use technology, Hop Flyt continues work on refining the designs and flight testing to advance all sizes of the design. As a part of Albers Aerospace’s Amarillo Incentive package, Hopflyt is preparing to move its military division to Amarillo, TX, as a future tenant of Albers’ larger manufacturing and flight test facility being established in Amarillo, Texas. Currently, Albers Aerospace is commencing Software-in-the-Loop (SWIL) Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) bench testing and applying digital engineering through their Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) team to the design which will enhance the speed of development of the Group 2 and Group 3 versions. Albers is seeking key partners in this effort to provide a fully developed system-of-systems solution.

Albers Aerospace is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) providing Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and other engineering services, manned and unmanned aviation services, AS9100D manufacturing, aviation repair services, and an Innovation Incubator platform that delivers value by commercializing key technologies for the Warfighter.

Hop Flyt is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business whose mission is to become a leader in the eVTOL industry by bringing to market the most versatile aircraft that go farther, faster, and safer.