U.S-based startup Jaunt Air Mobility, the specialist subsidiary of the AIRO Group, is developing a range of platform solutions aimed at capturing distinct segments of the emerging UAM and eVTOL markets. Jaunt Air’s prospective product line is distinguished by the company’s unique expertise in slowed rotor compound (SRC) technology, a development which aims to generate significant operational and performance efficiencies for the rotorcraft-style designs of its platforms.
Jaunt Air’s product line consists of its piloted eVTOL design, dubbed the Journey, as well as a subscale variant intended to operate as an unmanned asset for the realization of cargo or law enforcement tasks. Development of the Journey was initiated in 2019 alongside the foundation of the company while the unmanned subscale variant, originally intended to serve only as a technological testbed for the Journey, was only split off into its own separate product line in 2023.
The Journey is an all-electric single-rotor compound helicopter that seats five passengers and one pilot. The rotor system is capable of both vertical takeoff and landing and high-speed flight, with the rotor system being capable of reducing the hover rotations per minute to one-third speed for cruise. The rotor lift and speed are reduced until the vehicle’s speed reaches approximately 175 mph, where the wing is providing all the lift and the rotor is completely unloaded and free spinning to minimize drag.
Over the past several years, Jaunt Air has begun to accumulate a significant pool of client for the Journey in an air taxi role. In March 2023, Jaunt Air signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BLADE India for a prospective acquisition of 150 Journey eVTOLs, with deliveries due to launch in 2027. A month later Jaunt Air announced a planned partnership with aviation charter service Redwings for the provision of 20 air taxis intended to service the Mexico City area. Jaunt Air is also marketing the Journey for other operational configurations, including medical evacuation, law enforcement and corporate transportation.
