The US Air Force aims for battery electric aircraft, hydrogen fuel cells, and efuels to cut itself loose from the fossil fuel supply chain.
There is a lot of activity in the electric aircraft field, though for now much of it revolves around smaller aircraft. Electrifying huge cargo, passenger, and military aircraft will have to wait a while.
In the meantime, the US Air Force is among those eager to dip into the electric aircraft field. They are starting small, with one example being the five-passenger, 1,000-pound payload ALIA electric aircraft from the US company BETA Technologies
The Air Force has been partnering with BETA to develop electric aircraft since 2019, and it looks like all that hard work is beginning to pay off. In October, the Air Force took delivery of an ALIA aircraft at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
The compact aircraft has a wingspan of 50 feet. It can go 250 miles on a single charge and reach a top speed of 138 mph.
There is a lot of activity in the electric aircraft field, though for now much of it revolves around smaller aircraft. Electrifying huge cargo, passenger, and military aircraft will have to wait a while.
In the meantime, the US Air Force is among those eager to dip into the electric aircraft field. They are starting small, with one example being the five-passenger, 1,000-pound payload ALIA electric aircraft from the US company BETA Technologies
The Air Force has been partnering with BETA to develop electric aircraft since 2019, and it looks like all that hard work is beginning to pay off. In October, the Air Force took delivery of an ALIA aircraft at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
The compact aircraft has a wingspan of 50 feet. It can go 250 miles on a single charge and reach a top speed of 138 mph.
