Supernal debuts S-A2 eVTOL product concept to aviation market

Supernal four-passenger S-A2 eVTOL aircraft made its international debut at the Farnborough Airshow 2024.The aircraft is uniquely designed to get people in urban areas to their destinations faster, and leverages expertise from Supernal’s innovative aerospace engineering teams in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group’s automotive designers and manufacturing teams. Built to cruise at 120 miles per hour at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 feet above ground level, S-A2 will have an initial range of 60 miles to meet typical city operation needs. The aircraft utilizes a distributed electric propulsion architecture and will operate quietly to meet community noise standards. Most importantly, S-A2 is engineered to achieve global commercial aviation safety standards with a robust airframe structure that includes redundant components in critical systems such as powertrain, flight controls and avionics.

Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal commented:“We are eager to share Supernal’s latest product milestone – our eVTOL product concept – with the aviation industry as we work to launch commercial Advanced Air Mobility operations in 2028. With our ‘right product, right market at the right time’ philosophy, S-A2 embodies critical work Supernal is conducting with fleet operators, suppliers, governments and Hyundai Motor Group to ensure AAM becomes a safe, economically viable and widespread mode of transportation in the coming decades.”

Supernal will initiate prototype testing of S-A2 in 2025; prior to then, the company will begin flying its full-scale technology demonstrator. The FSTD test program will inform Supernal’s prototype vehicle by helping to mature and validate vehicle systems, optimize supply chain processes and solidify internal testing protocols. The company announced GKN successfully delivered the full composite wing assembly for the FSTD and will deliver the booms by the end of the month.

David McBride, chief technology officer, Supernal said: “2024 is a pivotal year for Supernal’s eVTOL development, marking the transition from engineering design to the build and execution phases. In addition to gaining instrumental learnings from our full-scale technology demonstrator, we will also begin prototype development and continue refining our production vehicle for scaled manufacturing in the coming months.”

In pursuit of integrating AAM into existing transit options, Supernal continues to convene crucial stakeholders to responsibly co-create the industry’s ecosystem. At the airshow, Supernal will host an industry panel in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday, July 24, at 10:00 a.m. Shin and leaders from Airbus, Honeywell and Kearney will share perspectives on solving AAM challenges to adoption, such as regulatory gaps, the need for new infrastructure and gaining public acceptance. In addition, Supernal will progress and announce efforts related to AAM market development at the airshow.