Vertical Aerospace Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer based in Bristol, England. It designs and builds zero emission, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electrically powered aircraft. The company was founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, an ex-Formula One team owner, and founder and CEO of OVO Energy. In June 2018, the company flew its first prototype aircraft — an electrically powered quadcopter that weighed 750 kg (1,650 lb), named VA-X1. In 2019, the company became Honeywell's first eVTOL customer, buying their fly-by-wire aircraft control systems for a future Vertical Aerospace aircraft, the VA-X4. in February 2021, the company announced it was partnering with Solvay S.A. for the development of the composite structure of its vehicle. In March, the company announced it was partnering with Rolls-Royce for the development of its electrical power system. In the period between 2020 and 2022, under the leadership of Chief Engineer, Tim Williams, Vertical Aerospace successfully designed, built, and flew the VX-4 prototype aircraft. This achievement marked a historic moment in the aerospace industry, as it was the first of its kind – a new technology, electric-powered aircraft – to be created in the United Kingdom in living memory. The aircraft accomplished its first takeoff and landing while tethered to the ground in September. In 2023, the VX4 successfully completed an unmanned test flight at Kemble Airport, Cotswold UK. The aircraft demonstrated its capabilities by lifting off, hovering, flying, and landing solely through the thrust generated by Vertical's proprietary battery packs. The prototype was damaged during uncrewed flight testing on 9 August 2023 at Cotswold Airport. The company attributed the accident to a fault with the propeller, but said it was an older design that had since been replaced. In 2024 the second full-scale prototype of the VX4 was revealed. It was claimed to use a proprietary battery and a powertrain system with 20% greater power. The prototype also included redesigned carbon fiber propellers to lower noise and improve performance. In January 2025, piloted hover flight tests were successfully carried out. The next testing stage is low-speed manoeuvres. Vertical Aerospace says that the VX4 is a piloted, zero emissions electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle with an expected range of over 100 miles (160.9 km), capacity for 4 passengers and a pilot, and runs quieter than a helicopter. The proposed aircraft is intended to operate in and out of cities and other confined locations. It would rely on its fixed wing for lift during most of a flight. This shift follows the eVTOL industry, which is shifting towards wing-borne lift + cruise and vectored thrust concepts, due to the efficiency gains wing-borne lift offers while cruising. It features eight propellers mounted to the wing. The four front-mounted propellers shift from providing lift in take-off mode to providing forward thrust while cruising. The rear motors operate only during take-off and landing. No specifications are available at this time.
