Eve Air Mobility may have just increased its pre-order book by 150 eVTOL aircraft, as a result of a collaboration between Embraer and BAE Systems.
The companies signed a letter of intent that could see BAE potentially pre-order up to 150 of Eve’s aircraft that would be used for the defense and security market. Embraer and BAE have also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the Farnborough International Airshow that could see the two companies develop a defense eVTOL variant using Eve’s platform.
“Our customers’ operating environment is increasingly complex, and eVTOL is just one example of how we’re looking at emerging technologies, including those from the commercial market,” said Ian Muldowney, chief operating officer of BAE Systems Air, in a press release. “We are exploring how we can adapt these solutions to bring vital operational capability to our customers quickly and at a lower cost — whilst also supporting environmental and sustainability goals.”
Embraer and BAE initially announced plans to collaborate on developing a potential defense variant of Eve’s eVTOL aircraft in December 2021. The companies said this MOU “reinforces the trust of the leading aerospace organizations in Eve’s vehicle and its adaptability for purposes other than urban air mobility.”
“Our eVTOL can be adapted to meet various essential applications in this market, such as humanitarian response and disaster relief,” said Andre Stein, Co-CEO of Eve. “This collaboration also indicates that the defense market can be more sustainable, and at the same time, allows Eve to remain focused on exploring the urban air mobility market.”
The potential order brings Eve’s pre-order book to 1,910 aircraft. Its other potential customers include Fahari Aviation, Falko Regional Aircraft, Avantto, and Bristow Group, among others.
