On January 31st, Textron’s Slovenian aviation subsidiary Pipistrel announced that its flagship remotely piloted hybrid VTOL cargo platform, the Nuuva V300, had successfully conducted its first hover flight test. The attainment of this milestone will see Pipistrel move forward with plans to bolster its testing regime via the deployment of an additional V300 demonstrator sometime in the coming year.
The Nuuva V300 design is intended to fill the specialized niche of performing long-distance cargo operations in a variety of operational and infrastructural contexts. The aircraft’s typical cargo load is envisioned as being around 300 kilograms (661lbs), with the platform touting a cargo volume of 106 ft3. The carbon fiber aircraft achieves flight via eight battery powered VTOL propellers and one pusher, paired by a corresponding quantity of Pipistrel lE-811 electric motors. This configuration can carry the V300 over a standard operational range of 300 kilometers (160nm). The aircraft is remotely controlled via a fly-by-wire system provided by Honeywell.
