Vertical Aerospace flies final full-scale prototype ahead of design milestone

Vertical Aerospace (NYSE:EVTL) completed the maiden piloted flight of its newest full-scale prototype aircraft, initiating an expanded flight testing campaign ahead of a major design milestone.

The flight occurred at the company's Flight Test Centre in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2026, following the issuance of a new Permit to Fly from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The aircraft represents the final test bed to join the company's fleet before it reaches its Critical Design Review (CDR).

Achieving CDR will lock in the certifiable aircraft design baseline and allow the firm to transition toward the assembly of its first pre-production aircraft as it targets commercial certification.

The prototype will advance through all phases of piloted flight testing, encompassing thrustborne, wingborne, and transition flights.

Vertical’s existing prototype remains active in transition testing, having already completed multiple piloted transition flights.

The inclusion of the new aircraft doubles Vertical's active test capacity, allowing the company to accelerate its validation timeline and support a series of public demonstrations planned for later this year.

Upon completing the primary testing phases in an all-electric configuration, Vertical intends to retrofit the new prototype for hybrid-electric flight testing.

The hybrid-electric variant is being developed to accommodate applications requiring expanded range and heavier payload capacities, targeting contracts across the defense, logistics, and broader commercial transport sectors.