European aviation giant Airbus has revealed the updated version of its CityAirbus urban air mobility (UAM) plane. Certification of fixed-wing, all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi is being planned for some time in 2025.
Europe’s aviation heavyweight revealed updated fixed-wing eVTOL air taxi program
The CityAirbus program has been in development since 2016 under direction of Airbus’ helicopter division, and the previous iteration of the craft was unveiled in 2020. On Tuesday Airbus showcased an updated design of the four passenger fixed-wing eVTOL air taxi, whose eight propellers will drive it to top speeds of 120 km/h across a maximum flight range of 50 km. By swapping combustion engines for battery power, the UAM vehicle – known as CityAirbus NextGen – will generate just 65 dBa of noise during overhead flight, and 70 dBa during takeoff and landings.
Airbus made the announcement during its “Pioneering Sustainable Aerospace…
