VTOL Update Q1 2026

Xpeng, a name we all know from the automotive industry, has some pretty ambitious plans for the flying world as well. Sadly those plans sometimes get derailed by a healthy dose of reality. During the preparation for an airshow two Xpeng e-VTOLs apparently flew into each other and came crashing down. Luckily without any fatal result, but it still goes to show that massive amounts of work need to go into safety standards. Whereas a gently collision on firm ground usually results in some dents, scrapes and hurt egos, the results for all things suspended in the air can be much more catastrophic.

There is one place on earth where all things new and shiny get accepted even more quickly than in China: the United Arab Emirates. That's why Aridge, the Xpeng subsidiary that focuses on VTOLs, is prioritizing the Middle East to show off its products. And boy do they have the ideal "have you seen this" toy in their arsenal. Their flying car, called a Land Aircraft Carrier, with automated flight mode and a quarter of a million dollar price tag, comes with a futuristic looking "Mothership". A six wheeled truck-meets-minivan vehicle especially designed to transport your aircraft. I have no idea if there will ever be a huge market for these kinds of products, but I'm absolutely certain they will find quite a few takes in Dubai and its neighbors.

Archer, an US based air-taxi developer has decided that you don't just need great technology to make it in the VTOL space, you also need prime real estate to get started. What better way to do just that than to pick up a fully fledged airport. Not just any airport either, Hawthorne Municipal Airport is located smack in the middle of LA, a stone throw away from much larger LAX and SoFi stadium. The major disadvantage of this facility, the very short 1,5 km runway, is irrelevant to Archer. They intend to make it a hub for their LA air taxi network that should be ready for the 2028 Olympics.

When you dive into the world of drones or VTOLs you are struck by just how similar the big discussions are. Take the debate on autonomous flying for example. However queasy we might feel on our first Waymo ride, just imagine flying between skyscrapers without an actual flesh and bone pilot.

Another carryover from the down to earth automotive landscape is the electric versus combustion discussion. Why get stuck in the past, just make the jump right to electric power some might say. Kawasaki and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are clearly not convinced battery technology will evolve fast enough to take VTOLs, manned or autonomous, far enough with big loads any time soon. They are investing heavily in adapting their engines or turbines to be used for the heaviest of applications. Where a typical Amazon drone can carry a parcel of a few kilograms for just an hour or so, the Japanese firms are eying eye popping metrics of ferrying 1.000 kg over 1.000 km with autonomous cargo drones in the future. Lots of work is to be done as a recent test flight with an autonomous helicopter ended with the cargo being dropped prematurely after a power loss.