Electra Defense secures AFRL award for EL9 testing

A $4.7 million innovative capabilities opening contract will fund ground and flight testing of the EL9 to help the US Air Force assess Ultra-STOL aircraft for military operations.

Electra Defense has received a $4.7 million innovative capabilities opening (ICO) contract award from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to advance hybrid-electric aircraft power and propulsion technologies through a programme of ground testing and flight testing.

The ICO will cover testing and evaluation of Electra’s EL9 aircraft and its hybrid-electric propulsion systems, generating performance data to help the US Air Force assess the potential of ultra-short take-off and landing (Ultra-STOL) aircraft for military operations. The effort will also examine how hybrid-electric aviation can widen the range of operating locations, strengthen distributed logistics and support the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine.

Under the contract, Electra will conduct a series of technical evaluations focused on aircraft performance, hybrid-electric propulsion system functionality and operational effectiveness. This includes verification of key hybrid-electric power and propulsion technologies, extensive ground testing of the EL9 preproduction aircraft and acoustic flight testing to characterise its ability to conduct battery-only low-signature ingress and egress for special operations missions.

Donn Yates, vice president and general manager of Electra Defense, says: “Power and propulsion are fundamental to unlocking new capabilities for military aviation. Through this effort, we’re moving to generate real-world aircraft performance data that will help the Air Force evaluate how these technologies can support more agile, distributed and resilient operations.”

The programme will also evaluate the potential operational advantages of hybrid-electric Ultra-STOL aircraft through modelling and simulation, including their ability to operate from a wider range of locations, support the rapid dispersal of personnel and time-sensitive cargo and reduce dependence on traditional aviation infrastructure and ground support equipment. The findings will help inform future Air Force technology development and acquisition decisions.

Yates adds: “This contract will help us quantify those advantages and demonstrate their potential value to the Air Force.”

The award is the latest step in Electra’s partnership with AFRL on hybrid-electric aviation technologies for military applications. In 2023, Electra received a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award valued at up to $85 million to support development of its full-scale preproduction aircraft. That collaboration has since included flight demonstrations and government-directed testing, most recently during AFRL’s Future Flag 25-3 exercise in 2025, where Electra demonstrated the potential of Ultra-STOL aircraft and hybrid-electric propulsion for runway-independent distributed military operations and mobile power generation.