Supernal LLC, Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, is displaying its full-scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle product concept S-A2 at this year’s Farnborough Air Show and sharing its progress toward launching commercial flights in 2028.
“The event marks the introduction of S-A2 to the aviation community and is the latest milestone in Supernal’s journey toward realizing safe, efficient and affordable everyday passenger air travel,” said the company in a press release.
“Following its official debut in January, S-A2 will be on display to the public in Supernal’s chalet (A025). The aircraft is uniquely designed to get people in urban areas to their destinations faster, and leverages expertise from Supernal’s innovative aerospace engineering teams in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group’s automotive designers and manufacturing teams. Built to cruise at 120 miles per hour at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 feet above ground level, S-A2 will have an initial range of 60 miles to meet typical city operation needs. The aircraft utilizes a distributed electric propulsion architecture and will operate quietly to meet community noise standards. Most importantly, S-A2 is engineered to achieve global commercial aviation safety standards with a robust airframe structure that includes redundant components in critical systems such as powertrain, flight controls and avionics.
Supernal will initiate prototype testing of S-A2 in 2025; prior to then, the company will begin flying its full-scale technology demonstrator (FSTD). The FSTD test program will inform Supernal’s prototype vehicle by helping to mature and validate vehicle systems, optimize supply chain processes and solidify internal testing protocols. The company today announced GKN successfully delivered the full composite wing assembly for the FSTD and will deliver the booms by the end of the month.
“2024 is a pivotal year for Supernal’s eVTOL development, marking the transition from engineering design to the build and execution phases,” said David McBride, chief technology officer, Supernal. “In addition to gaining instrumental learnings from our full-scale technology demonstrator, we will also begin prototype development and continue refining our production vehicle for scaled manufacturing in the coming months.”
In pursuit of integrating AAM into existing transit options, Supernal continues to convene crucial stakeholders to responsibly co-create the industry’s ecosystem.
At the airshow, Supernal will host an industry panel in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday, July 24, at 10:00 a.m. Shin and leaders from Airbus, Honeywell and Kearney will share perspectives on solving AAM challenges to adoption, such as regulatory gaps, the need for new infrastructure and gaining public acceptance. In addition, Supernal will progress and announce efforts related to AAM market development at the airshow.
“We know an eVTOL vehicle is just one piece of the AAM puzzle,” said Shin. “Building the entire ground-to-air ecosystem requires thoughtful collaboration among leaders across all aspects of the industry. The Farnborough International Airshow provides the right platform to do just that.”
For more information