ascendance flight technologies’ hybrid electric VTOL aircraft airborne in 2024

sky’s the limit for Ascendance Flight Technologies

Ascendance Flight Technologies’ journey towards sustainable aviation is taking flight. The French start-up revealed its design for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft in 2021, destined for multiple medium range uses for passenger transport, medical, logistics and surveillance applications. Their solutions, though, aim to extend beyond a singular vehicle to the wider aviation market using hybrid propulsion in order to decarbonize aviation.

With the news of the start-up raising a 34 million euro investment, designboom talked with Jean-Christophe Lambert, Co-founder and CEO of Ascendance Flight Technologies, to delve into their sustainable aviation solutions, the design and engineering processes with Dassault Systèmes, and when we will see the technologies in our skies.

Ascendance Flight Technologies was founded in 2018 by Jean-Christophe Lambert and three colleagues who all worked on Airbus’ E-Fan project – a 100% electric aircraft that first crossed the Channel from France to the U.K. in 2015. As such, the start-up is solely dedicated to sustainable aviation. Their ambition is to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector by offering unique technologies, both as a manufacturer of aircraft but also propulsion systems.

‘Our founding mission was to develop solutions to decarbonize aviation. We believe that hybrid technology – whether battery and sustainable aviation fuel or battery and conventional fuel – will be key to reach this goal,’ begins Jean-Christophe Lambert, Co-founder and CEO of Ascendance Flight Technologies, to designboom.

STERNA propulsion and atea vtol

To approach a more sustainable aviation, the brand believes hybrid technologies are needed. STERNA is a modular hybrid propulsion system that accommodates batteries, and a thermal engine using either sustainable aviation fuels or hydrogen in the future. It allows multiple sources to be used at the same time. Although net zero will not be achieved immediately, the solution opens up the possibility of a new generation of aircraft with reduced environmental footprint. It also enables more intensive prototyping, scale-up and further development to speed up the journey to reduce emissions.

‘STERNA enables a hybrid propulsion system that uses different energy sources: battery and sustainable aviation fuel, battery and conventional fuel, or battery and hydrogen. The energy is used during the take-off and landing phases to decrease and prioritize the thermal engine for use during cruising. This reduces CO2 emissions by 20-30% but, in the long term, this can reduce them by 50-100%. The innovation understands how to manage two energy sources depending on the flight phase.’ Jean-Christophe continues, ‘Hybrid is a technology that brings us a step closer to clean aviation.’

‘To decarbonize aviation, we work across two pillars. The first is the need to decrease the energy demand of the aircraft when taking off, cruising and landing. The second is to use low carbon and then decarbonized energy to increase the demand. With ATEA, we aim to reach both goals. The aircraft has a very efficient cruise because its wings use the natural lift of the air. Hybrid propulsion then powers the other flight phases,’ adds the Co-founder and CEO.

ATEA is Ascendance Flight Technologies’ quiet and low-carbon hybrid electric VTOL aircraft. Its design utilizes eight rotors built into its four wings – two rotors per wing – to aid it reach a cruising speed of over 200 km/h and a range of 400 km. It cuts up to 80% of CO2 emissions compared to a traditional helicopter, for example, and noise emissions are reduced by a factor of four.

prototyping ATEA with Dassault Systèmes

To turn ATEA into reality, the French start-up has been working with Dassault Systèmes to design, develop and prototype the aircraft. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud enables the team to manage all aspects of its product development – including systems engineering, product design and governance – and collaborate efficiently in one location, as well as accelerate development and time to market. Multiple stakeholders can work on different phases on the design concurrently. The aim is to build the first flight-capable full-scale prototype in order to receive certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

‘Ascendance Flight Technologies has been working with Dassault Systèmes for over two years. We started using different software but moved to 3DEXPERIENCE to help us develop the first prototype of ATEA. The platform will add further reference of us in the future.’ explains Jean-Christophe.

Following its 34 million euro investment, Ascendance Flight Technologies is powering ahead with its first prototype of ATEA, which was on display at the Paris Air Show 2023, from June 19-25. The start-up aims for it to be in the sky in 2024. Before then, though, it is necessary for STERNA to be integrated into existing aircraft to highlight the possibilities of low carbon aviation. Recently Daher, the 160-year-old Aircraft and Service maker, has committed to decarbonizing its aircraft using the hybrid-electric technology from 2023 onwards. Post Air Show, Ascendance was also revealed as a winner of France 2030’s call to produce low carbon aircraft in France, announced by President Emmanuel Macron. A share of 49.3 million euro investment further supports their mission to decarbonize air transport.

‘We need to work with first adopters in the market to show the possibilities of decarbonizing. In 2024, we expect to have ATEA flying and at least two partners for STERNA. This will help us switch to the industrialization and entry on the market for 2027,’ concludes Jean-Christophe Lambert, Co-founder and CEO of Ascendance Flight Technologies, in an interview with designboom.