Ascendance Flight Technologies Atea

Ascendance Flight Technologies is developing a hybrid-electric aircraft called Atea. (Image: Ascendance Flight Technologies)

Atea is a four-seat hybrid electric eVTOL aircraft being developed by France's Ascendance Flight Technologies (AFT). The company was launched in January 2018 by four former members of the Airbus E-Fan electric aircraft program.

The startup has flown a subscale prototype of the Atea and during 2021 expects to start testing a full-scale example. In January 2021, it was selected as one of 30 partners to participate in the Re.Invent Air Mobility project launched by the Choose Paris Region agency, which is aiming to launch air taxi services in the French capital from 2024. The aim is to conduct public demonstration flights in 2024 as part of the Paris Olympic Games and then to be ready to begin commercial operations in 2025. In addition to passenger transportation, AFT sees the Atea being used for missions such as emergency medical support and surveillance.

Images on the company's website show a pair of ducted fans situated on either side of a fixed-wing for horizontal lift, plus another ducted fan in the forward fuselage and a single propeller in the nose. No projected performance details or specifications have been published.

AFT lists among its supporters the following organizations: Aeroports de Paris, Onera (the French government-backed aerospace research agency), Nubbo, Plug and Play, the Isae-Supaero aeronautical university, Agoranov, i-Lab, Ansys, ADDL, Creations Digitales and La French Tech. It is unclear how much financial backing the company has but it was looking to recruit new staff for its engineering team in early 2021.

In September 2021, AFT announced it had raised €10 million for support of its Atea eVTOL design. Ascendance also stated it will need further funding to achieve its goal of certification by 2025 and set a goal of 2024 to have a flying prototype.

In December 2021, AFT revealed a significant revision to its Atea eVTOL design with plans to have it certified by 2025. Ascendance expects the design to have a range of 250 miles and speeds of 124mph.

In late July 2022, the company gained 6 commercial agreements from operators who are committed to adding Atea eVTOL to their fleet. The operators are spread across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

In late March 2023, AFT announced it raised €21 million ($23 million) in funding, mainly from venture capital sources. The latest funding round was backed by French Tech Souveraineté, operated by Bpifrance as part of the France 2030 plan, CELAD, Expansion Aerospace Ventures, SC Mahé, Adrien Montfort via Snaw Ventures, and ARIS Occitanie. Earlier backers also contributed further capital, including Habert Dassault Finance, Céleste Management, IRDI, and M-Capital.

Timeline

Jan 2021

The company is one of 30 partners in the Re.Invent Air Mobility challenge, which is working to launch air taxi services in the Paris area.

Outlook

Our objective assessment of this program’s probable success.

Mar 2023 —

Ascendance Flight Technologies was boosted by being chosen from 150 applicants to be a partner in the Re.Invent Air Mobility project to bring air taxi services to Paris by 2024. It is one of six eVTOL aircraft developers selected.

The company's initial financial backing, which is understood to be less than $5 million, was sufficient to support early-stage development for what appears to be a lean, young energetic team. However, the response to its planned Series A funding round will clearly be critical to its ability to bring the Atea aircraft into commercial service, starting with construction of a full-scale prototype. Selection as a partner for the Re.Invent Air Mobility program is a boost to AFI's credibility, as is the signing of two strategic partnerships with ONERA (the French equivalent to NASA).

The Atea program received a significant boost from the €21 million funding round completed in March 2023, providing much-needed liquidity for development work.

Atea Models

Atea Specifications

local vtol Lift + Cruise

Imperial/Metric

Performance

Passenger Capacity
4
Range
280 mi
Cruise Speed
124 mph
Powerplant Type
ducted fan
Power Source
hybrid_fe
Endurance
n/a
Max Altitude
n/a
Takeoff Distance
n/a
Landing Distance
n/a

Empty Weight
n/a
MGTOW
n/a
Payload Weight
992 lb

Dimensions

Length
n/a
Width
n/a
Height
n/a
Wingspan
n/a

Atea is a hybrid electric eVTOL aircraft being developed to carry a pilot and three passengers (with an aspiration for autonomous operations from 2030). It is intended for air taxi roles, as well as emergency medical and surveillance applications., with a range of up to around 280 miles. For the most part, it is envisaged that it will operate in a radius of up to 125 miles around cities. Ascendance Flight Technologies is pitching the aircraft as a direct alternative to helicopters, saying that it will cost one-third of the acquisition price, offer a 40 percent reduction in operating costs, and generate a quarter of the noise footprint at takeoff.

The fixed-wing design features a ducted fan in either side of the main wing and a third fan in the front fuselage in front of the cockpit. A single-propeller in the nose drives horizontal cruise. The aircraft features a three-wheel landing gear. According to ATI, it is aiming to deliver a 10 minute turnaround time on the ground between flights.