Moog's Ascendance in the eVTOL/AAM Market: Insights, Achievements, and Future Endeavors

1. Can you provide an overview of Moog's entry into the eVTOLs/AAM market?

KW- Given Moog's history and expertise in flight controls, it's a natural next step to venture more into mission systems. We possess many in-house skills and are well-positioned to solve the regular day-to-day challenges this new type of aircraft presents. The evolution of distributed electric propulsion is now a viable concept. Ongoing advancements in high-power electric distribution (generating and distributing power across vehicles) and motion control set the stage for moving this technology further in the product life cycle. 

JJ- The SureFly vehicle and build team started as an innovation project to grow Moog's core business and evolved into an opportunity to leverage Moog's flight controls background. We are competing in a size and weight class for unmanned vehicles where the competition is lower than other eVTOLs and distinct from companies targeting human transport. These types of vehicles have the potential to be in service much earlier than commercial eVTOLS.

How we set ourselves apart is through mature experience in flight hardware and controls and a long, proven history of building, delivering, and sustaining projects, compared to many players in the eVTOL space who may be starting from scratch and must build all new infrastructure, supplier relationships, and set up supply chains and repair networks.

2. Moog recently completed a flight test campaign in collaboration with the US Air Force. What were the main focuses of the Agility Prime campaign? 

JJ- The S250 vehicle has undergone several major retrofits and upgrades throughout its years of flight since 2018. We were proud to wrap up its' manned flight test campaign in early 2023, after which we converted the vehicle to an unmanned configuration and completed our flight test campaign with AFWERX’s Agility Prime as an unmanned vehicle. 

The focuses of the unmanned campaign included expanding the flight test envelope while mitigating risk and proving the viability of that scale/size of aircraft as an unmanned platform.  

The Moog team collected critical data throughout the test campaign that we are actively using to inform the design and build of the next vehicle model, the HE350 recluse. An all-electric prototype of the Recluse is planned to fly in early 2024, mainly based on the learnings from these flight test campaigns. 

AS- Our focus was to expand the envelope and validate our system design for the next generation of our aircraft. We are excited to fly the all-electric variant in 2024 and have the hybrid electric powerplant generating power in our lab, which will be the next two steps towards an aircraft of this size and type that can fly with a commercially viable payload and endurance in 2025.

3. How important could eVTOLs be for militaries in the coming years? 

JJ- Very important! There is a lot of future planning within the military for smaller groups of units that need expedited supply and service support for more distributed operations. Sending smaller amounts of supplies to more places drives the need for air cargo and aircraft that can easily do that. There is also an industry-wide pilot shortage: having these aircraft perform these types of missions is much less risky for pilots and soldiers and can solve this shortage. 

"We are excited to fly the all-electric variant in 2024 and have the hybrid electric powerplant generating power in our lab, which will be the next two steps towards an aircraft of this size and type that can fly with a commercially viable payload and endurance in 2025."

KW- These vehicles, which are highly interconnected through information networks and communications, will hold a valuable place in military operations involving contested logistics. The technology lends itself to being low operational cost and easy to support and sustain while also having the ability to be operated by smaller groups of people.  

Both military and private industries can decrease operating expenses, increase their ability to move cargo and personnel, and expand their geographical presence. Ideally, you have large aircraft fleets operated by small teams of people, whereas right now, it takes a large team to move and operate one aircraft. This can be especially challenging in remote areas. 

Our aircraft has a unique capability of generating and supplying off-board electric ground power, which can support humanitarian aid and relieve disaster-stricken areas and isolated operations, such as hospitals, temporary shelters, and forward operating bases. 

4. What's on the horizon for Moog in the eVTOL/AAM space? 

AS- The Hybrid power plant is operational in our ground facility, and the first flight of the all-electric Recluse will occur in mid-2024. While we are focused on our multirotor vehicle in this conversation, the technology our group has developed is being integrated into Genesys Aerosystems (a Moog company) commercial helicopter autopilots that are on schedule to receive their Supplemental Type Certificates in 2024. We are setting up customer lead-user demonstrations and testing, considering production facilities, and scaling for our delivered products.