{"id":3728,"date":"2025-11-17T17:14:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T01:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aamnation.com\/?p=3728"},"modified":"2025-11-17T17:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T01:14:39","slug":"honda-to-fly-first-full-scale-aam-evtol-prototype-in-early-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aamnation.com\/sv\/2025\/11\/17\/honda-to-fly-first-full-scale-aam-evtol-prototype-in-early-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Honda ska flyga den f\u00f6rsta fullskaliga AAM eVTOL-prototypen i b\u00f6rjan av 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Story By <\/em>Charlotte Bailey<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2022\u00a0Writer
\nainonline.com<\/p>\n

Following more than 400 flights of its third-scale demonstrator, Honda is planning to fly its first full-scale AAM eVTOL prototype in March 2026, with the build of the inaugural aircraft expected to be completed by the end of this year. The company hopes to have an FAA type certificate in hand by the early 2030s.<\/p>\n

Although Honda has been relatively secretive about its upcoming AAM eVTOL since announcing the program in 2021, the company\u2019s inaugural presence at the Dubai Airshow is \u201cgood timing for us to showcase the progress of our research,\u201d said Honda AAM eVTOL vice president and executive chief engineer Susumu Mashio.<\/p>\n

Joking that the company has been in so-called \u201cstealth mode\u201d for the last few years, Mashio explained that Honda hasn\u2019t felt the need to \u201cproactively announce [its progress] to the public in a very immature state.” However, the company \u201cis now confident [its] technology is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Honda plans to finish building its inaugural full-scale eVTOL prototype by the end of this year and to conduct the first flight in March 2026. \u00a9 David McIntosh\/AIN<\/em><\/p>\n

A one-third-scale technology demonstrator on display at the Dubai Airshow has been conducting a flight test campaign in California, augmenting learnings gleaned from wind tunnel testing. \u201cThis vehicle is specifically for the flight control verification,\u201d Mashio explained. Flight profiles include forward and hovering elements, although the demonstrator has yet to complete a full transition from hover to cruise.\u00a0\u201cBecause of the limitations of the vehicle, we\u2019re confident we can achieve this transition in [the] full-scale aircraft,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The upcoming test vehicle will be remotely piloted and is set to commence flight testing in the U.S. around March 2026. Notably, the design of both the subscale demonstrator and the fuselage mockup on display has moved away from the more elliptical fuselage profiles of earlier visualizations and now includes a constant cross-section.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still in the design process, and we\u2019re discussing which [final shape] is the right one for us,\u201d confirmed Mashio. \u201cIt\u2019s the combination of the design of the cabin, the aerodynamics, and also the other structural components of the vehicle that all have to come together.\u201d The supplier list has not yet been finalized, but Honda is \u201cwatching the market,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While other competitors in the AAM eVTOL space are increasingly looking toward hybrid powertrains for their own aircraft, Honda is a notable exception, as its AAM eVTOL was intended to be hybrid-electric from the outset. \u201cWe are an automobile company; we know the battery technologies,\u201d said Mashio. \u201cWhen we decided to start this project, we knew that battery technology might not be there as much as we had hoped.\u201d Although Honda wouldn\u2019t rule out a future fully-electric aircraft variant in line with battery maturation, \u201cfor the time being, I think the hybrid systems are practical,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A hybrid-electric powertrain also presents additional FAA certification challenges, as no such aircraft has been certified so far. However, Honda is able to leverage its heritage of the HondaJet to inform lessons of critical redundancy, safety, and certification challenges from early on in its AAM eVTOL research phase. Ultimately, the company appears not to be rushing to be among the first to commercialize its product, although conversations are ongoing with potential operators. \u201cWe need to first decide what kind of real benefit we can offer to the potential customers\u2014that\u2019s something we need to identify before we can make a decision to go to market,\u201d Mashio concluded.<\/p>\n

… notes from SP<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story By Charlotte Bailey\u00a0\u2022\u00a0Writer ainonline.com Following more than 400 flights of its third-scale demonstrator, 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