Technology & Innovation
Sarla Aviation Launches India’s Largest eVTOL Manufacturing Campus
Sarla Aviation builds a 500-acre eVTOL giga campus in Andhra Pradesh with INR 1300 crore, aiming to lead India’s sustainable urban air mobility.
A significant development is unfolding in India’s aerospace landscape, signaling a decisive shift towards advanced aerial mobility. Sarla Aviation, an emerging Indian aerospace company, has announced a landmark project to build the world’s largest integrated electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) manufacturing campus in Andhra Pradesh. Dubbed the “Sky Factory,” this ambitious initiative is poised to position India not just as a participant but as a central hub in the global urban air mobility (UAM) revolution. The project represents a major investment in future-ready, sustainable aviation technology, aiming to create a comprehensive ecosystem for the entire lifecycle of next-generation electric aircraft.
The formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, underscored by the presence of key national figures, including Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu. This high-level backing highlights the project’s alignment with national strategic goals, particularly Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “Viksit Bharat 2047” and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s “Swarna Andhra 2047” visions. These initiatives aim to propel India into a future defined by high-technology leadership and sustainable industrial growth. The “Sky Factory” is not merely a manufacturing plant; it’s envisioned as a nerve center for the next era of flight, designed to make India a global force in sustainable aerial mobility.
With an initial investment of INR 1,300 crore, the 500-acre giga campus is set to become one of the largest eVTOL production hubs globally. The plan is to manufacture up to 1,000 aircraft annually, a scale that rivals established aerospace centers in California and Munich. This move is a clear statement of intent: India is transitioning from being a consumer of advanced aviation technology to a world-class producer and exporter. The project’s scope extends beyond manufacturing to include design, testing, certification, pilot training, and maintenance, creating a self-reliant ecosystem for eVTOL operations within the country for the first time.
The “Sky Factory” is designed to be a fully integrated UAM ecosystem. The 500-acre site in Andhra Pradesh will house a suite of cutting-edge facilities that cover the entire spectrum of eVTOL development and production. This includes advanced manufacturing units for critical components like composites, propulsion systems, landing gear, avionics, and flight control computers. By localizing the production of these high-value components, Sarla Aviation aims to significantly reduce India’s reliance on imported aviation technologies and foster a robust domestic supply chain.
A key feature of the campus will be its state-of-the-art testing infrastructure. The project includes plans for India’s largest wind tunnel, a two-kilometer runway, and dedicated VTOL testing pads. These facilities are crucial for the rigorous testing and certification processes required for new aircraft. Furthermore, the campus will host modern R&D laboratories, advanced simulation environments for pilot training, and comprehensive MRO units. This integrated approach ensures that the complete lifecycle of eVTOL aircraft, from initial concept to in-service maintenance, can be managed from a single location in India.
Sustainability is a core principle in the design of the “Sky Factory.” The campus will incorporate renewable energy generation, water recycling systems, and zero-liquid-discharge protocols. It will also follow circular-economy principles for managing composite and metal waste. The commitment to environmental stewardship is further reflected in the planned green buffer zones and biodiversity corridors across the site. This focus on sustainability aligns with the broader global push for greener transportation solutions and positions the project as a model for responsible industrial development in the high-tech sector.
“With the world’s biggest sky factory, we want to make India a nerve centre for the next era of flight. This giga facility will shape the aircraft of the future, create thousands of high-skill jobs, and establish India as a global force in sustainable aerial mobility.”, Rakesh Gaonkar, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer, Sarla Aviation
The establishment of the “Sky Factory” carries profound economic and strategic implications for India. The project is expected to be a significant engine for job creation, generating thousands of skilled employment opportunities in the aerospace and high-tech manufacturing sectors. This will not only provide a boost to the regional economy in Andhra Pradesh but also contribute to building a highly skilled workforce capable of driving innovation in advanced aviation. The initiative is also set to catalyze the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by integrating them into the aerospace supply chain, creating a ripple effect of economic development.
Strategically, the project anchors India’s position as a key player in the burgeoning field of electric air mobility. By developing a domestic capacity for designing, building, and operating eVTOL systems, India can reduce its strategic dependence on foreign technology and enhance its self-reliance in a critical sector. Sarla Aviation’s collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh government to co-develop certification frameworks and UAM corridors is a crucial step in creating a supportive regulatory environment for this new form of transportation. The company’s goal to launch commercial air-taxi operations in major South Indian cities by 2029 demonstrates a clear roadmap for translating this technological capability into a tangible public service. The “Sky Factory” is a testament to India’s growing ambition on the global stage. It aligns with the national vision of becoming a leader in technology and manufacturing. As the world grapples with urban congestion and the need for sustainable transport, India’s investment in a large-scale eVTOL ecosystem could provide a blueprint for other nations. The project signals a future where advanced aerial mobility is not just a concept but a reality, with India at the forefront of this transformative industry.
Sarla Aviation’s plan to build the world’s largest eVTOL “Sky Factory” in Andhra Pradesh is more than just an industrial project; it’s a defining milestone for India’s aerospace future. By creating a comprehensive, integrated campus for electric aircraft, the nation is making a bold statement about its capabilities and ambitions. This initiative promises to create a self-sufficient ecosystem for urban air mobility, from design and manufacturing to operations and maintenance, fundamentally altering India’s role from a technology consumer to a global producer.
The future implications are vast. The successful execution of this project will not only create thousands of skilled jobs and foster a domestic supply chain but also pave the way for cleaner, faster, and more accessible urban transportation. As cities continue to grow, solutions like eVTOL air taxis will become increasingly vital. With the “Sky Factory,” India is not just preparing for this future; it is actively building it, charting a new course for sustainable aviation and solidifying its place as a leader in the next generation of flight.
Question: What is the “Sky Factory”? Question: What is the investment size of this project? Question: What is the production capacity of the facility? Question: When can we expect commercial air-taxi operations? Sources: The Economic Times
India’s Leap into Future Flight: Sarla Aviation’s “Sky Factory” Sets the Stage
The “Sky Factory”: A Giga Campus for a New Age of Aviation
Economic and Strategic Implications for India
Conclusion: Charting a New Course in the Skies
FAQ
Answer: The “Sky Factory” is the name given to the world’s largest integrated electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) manufacturing campus being built by Sarla Aviation in Andhra Pradesh, India. The 500-acre facility will handle the design, manufacturing, testing, and maintenance of electric aircraft.
Answer: The initial investment for the “Sky Factory” project is INR 1,300 crore, with plans for additional capital infusion in later phases.
Answer: The giga facility aims to manufacture up to 1,000 eVTOL aircraft annually, making it one of the largest production hubs for such systems in the world.
Answer: Sarla Aviation is working towards launching commercial air-taxi operations across major South Indian cities by 2029.
Photo Credit: The Economic Times
Technology & Innovation
Argonne and Spirit AeroSystems Launch AI Tool for Aerospace Inspections
Argonne National Laboratory and Spirit AeroSystems introduce an AI tool that speeds composite material inspections, reducing time and energy use in aerospace manufacturing.
This article is based on an official press release from Argonne National Laboratory.
A new collaboration between government research facilities and private industry aims to resolve one of the most persistent bottlenecks in modern Commercial-Aircraft manufacturing: the inspection of composite materials. On January 7, 2026, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) announced the development of an artificial intelligence tool designed to accelerate the analysis of ultrasonic scans, a move they report will significantly reduce production time and energy consumption.
The project, led by ANL in partnership with Spirit AeroSystems, Northern Illinois University, and Texas Research Institute Austin, utilizes advanced machine learning to assist human inspectors. According to the laboratory’s announcement, the tool reduces human inspection time by 7% and cuts facility-level energy usage by approximately 3% per aircraft.
Modern aerospace engineering relies heavily on composite materials due to their superior strength-to-weight ratios. However, verifying the structural integrity of these materials is a data-intensive process. Manufacturers typically use ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT) to scan components, generating massive datasets that human experts must manually review to identify defects.
Argonne National Laboratory describes this manual review process as time-consuming and mentally fatiguing. To address this, the research team utilized the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, to develop a solution based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs).
According to the technical details released by the laboratory, the AI model does not replace human inspectors. Instead, it functions as an intelligent assistant that rapidly processes scan data to highlight “regions of interest.”
“It rapidly processes scan data and highlights specific areas that contain potential defects or anomalies. This allows human experts to focus their attention solely on ‘regions of interest’ rather than reviewing empty or flawless data.”
— Argonne National Laboratory Announcement
The integration of this technology offers measurable gains in both efficiency and Sustainability. Spirit AeroSystems, a major aerostructures manufacturer, provided the proprietary dataset of ultrasonic scans used to train the model. The resulting tool has demonstrated the ability to shorten the overall production flow time. By automating the initial screening of ultrasonic data, the tool reduces the time human inspectors spend on each component by 7%. In high-volume manufacturing environments, this reduction allows for increased throughput and helps alleviate production backlogs.
Perhaps most notably, the efficiency gains translate directly into energy savings. The announcement states that the tool lowers energy use by roughly 3% per aircraft. This reduction is achieved at the facility level; shorter inspection times mean that heavy machinery, HVAC systems, and lighting operate for fewer hours per unit produced.
The deployment of this AI tool highlights a critical shift in the aerospace sector’s approach to “Industry 4.0.” While much of the past decade’s innovation focused on physical Automation, such as robotic drilling or fastening, the current frontier is digital automation.
We observe that the bottleneck in composite manufacturing has shifted from layup (placing the material) to verification (proving the material is safe). As aircraft designs become increasingly complex, the volume of NDT data is outpacing human capacity to review it. The “human-in-the-loop” approach taken by Argonne and Spirit AeroSystems is significant because it mitigates the regulatory hurdles associated with fully autonomous inspection. By keeping the human inspector as the final authority, manufacturers can likely integrate these tools faster than if they sought to replace the human entirely.
Furthermore, the “open-framework” nature of the underlying techniques, mentioned in the release as being available for academic research, suggests that this methodology could soon expand beyond aerospace into wind energy and automotive sectors, where composite usage is also rising.
The success of this initiative relied on a multi-sector collaboration. While Argonne provided the supercomputing power and machine learning expertise, Spirit AeroSystems supplied the domain knowledge and real-world data necessary to train the AI effectively. Northern Illinois University and Texas Research Institute Austin contributed to validating the technology’s robustness and reliability.
Rajkumar Kettimuthu, a Senior Scientist and Group Leader at Argonne, emphasized the collaborative nature of the work in the official release, noting the combination of industrial constraints and high-performance computing.
Argonne National Laboratory and Spirit AeroSystems Unveil AI Tool for Aerospace Inspections
Addressing the Composite Challenge
Operational and Environmental Benefits
Efficiency Gains
Energy Reduction
AirPro News Analysis
Partnership Details
Sources
Photo Credit: Argonne National Lab
Technology & Innovation
Horizon Aircraft Reports $24M Cash and 2026 Prototype Timeline
Horizon Aircraft secures $24M cash and funding to complete the Cavorite X7 hybrid-electric eVTOL prototype by 2026 with flight tests in 2027.
This article is based on an official press release from Horizon Aircraft and financial data released January 14, 2026.
Horizon Aircraft (NASDAQ: HOVR) has released its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, ending November 30, 2025. The company reported a strengthened balance sheet with over $24 million in cash on hand, a liquidity position management states is sufficient to fund operations through the completion of its full-scale Cavorite X7 prototype in 2026.
According to the company’s official statement, the quarter was marked by significant operational growth and the securing of non-dilutive funding, positioning the aerospace manufacturer to advance its hybrid-electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) technology.
In its Q2 fiscal 2026 report, Horizon Aircraft confirmed it has secured the necessary capital to execute its near-term engineering goals. The company highlighted a cash balance of $24 million as of November 30, 2025. This financial runway is supported by a combination of equity financing and government grants.
Recent financing activities include a capital raise of approximately C$10.8 million during the second quarter through the sale of 2.6 million shares. Additionally, analyst coverage indicates the closing of a financing tranche in December 2024 involving $1.5 million (approximately C$2.1 million) in common shares.
Beyond private capital, Horizon has successfully tapped into public funding. The company was awarded a C$10.5 million non-dilutive grant from the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT). This funding is specifically earmarked to support the development of all-weather flight capabilities for the Cavorite X7.
Brian Merker, CFO of Horizon Aircraft, commented on the company’s financial stability in the press release:
“With significantly improved working capital and incoming non-dilutive funding… we are well positioned to continue investing in our people, advancing our technology, and executing toward completion of our full-scale aircraft.”
Horizon Aircraft is focused on the development of the Cavorite X7, a seven-seat hybrid-electric eVTOL designed for regional air mobility, medical evacuation, and cargo transport. The aircraft distinguishes itself with a patented “fan-in-wing” system, which allows it to fly 98% of its mission configuration as a traditional fixed-wing plane. This design covers the vertical lift fans during forward flight to significantly reduce drag. The company has outlined a clear roadmap for the next 18 months. According to the Q2 update:
To support this timeline, Horizon has doubled its engineering headcount year-over-year and plans to double the team size again by the end of 2026.
Brandon Robinson, CEO of Horizon Aircraft, emphasized the momentum behind the project:
“The progress achieved during the second quarter of fiscal 2026 provides strong momentum toward completing our full-scale aircraft and commencing initial testing within the next 12 to 18 months.”
The Hybrid Advantage in a Crowded Market
While many competitors in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector are pursuing pure electric architectures tailored for short-range urban air taxi services, Horizon Aircraft’s hybrid-electric approach targets a different segment. By utilizing a hybrid system that recharges batteries in-flight, the Cavorite X7 offers a projected range of 800 kilometers (500 miles) and speeds of up to 450 km/h (280 mph).
This technical choice allows Horizon to bypass the immediate need for extensive ground charging infrastructure, a major bottleneck for pure electric eVTOLs. Furthermore, the ability to operate in “austere environments”, areas without prepared runways, makes the aircraft particularly viable for military and medevac applications, sectors where reliability and range often outweigh the benefits of zero-emission propulsion.
Horizon Aircraft is actively deepening relationships with supply chain partners to ensure the timely delivery of components for the full-scale prototype. The company is also exploring military applications for the Cavorite X7, leveraging its design suitability for rugged environments.
The company’s stock (NASDAQ: HOVR) has reflected the volatility typical of the emerging eVTOL sector, though the confirmation of a funded runway through 2026 provides a degree of certainty regarding the company’s ability to reach its next major technical milestone.
What is the Cavorite X7? When will the Cavorite X7 fly? How much cash does Horizon Aircraft have? What makes Horizon different from other eVTOL companies?
Horizon Aircraft Reports $24 Million Cash Position, Confirms 2026 Prototype Timeline
Financial Highlights and Liquidity
Operational Progress: The Cavorite X7
Prototype Timeline
AirPro News Analysis
Strategic Outlook
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cavorite X7 is a hybrid-electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft being developed by Horizon Aircraft. It carries one pilot and six passengers and features a patented fan-in-wing design.
According to the company’s latest schedule, the full-scale prototype will be assembled in 2026, with initial flight testing slated to begin in early 2027.
As of November 30, 2025, the company reported $24 million in cash on hand.
Horizon focuses on regional transport rather than urban air taxis. Its hybrid-electric powertrain allows for longer ranges and removes the dependency on ground charging stations.
Sources
Photo Credit: Horizon Aircraft
Technology & Innovation
Airbus Consortium Demonstrates Flight-Ready Composite Recycling
Airbus and partners recycle thermoplastic composites from retired A380 parts into structural components for A320neo, advancing circular aviation.
In a significant step toward a circular aviation economy, a consortium led by Airbus has successfully demonstrated that high-value thermoplastic composite parts can be recycled from retired aircraft and repurposed into structural components for new jets. The project, titled “Recycled and Ready,” involved taking an end-of-life part from a retired A380 and manufacturing it into a flight-ready component for an A320neo.
According to the official announcement released on January 15, 2026, the initiative proves that aerospace composites, historically difficult to recycle without degrading their quality, can be retained within the aviation supply chain rather than being “downcycled” into lower-value products like filler or ground transport components.
The breakthrough was achieved through a partnership between Airbus, materials supplier Toray Advanced Composites, aerostructures manufacturer Daher, and dismantling specialist Tarmac Aerosave. The team’s efforts were recognized with a JEC Innovation Award in the “Circularity and Recycling” category.
The core achievement of the project was the successful conversion of a used engine pylon fairing cover (cowl) from a dismantled A380 into a structural panel for an A320neo pylon. This transition from a “superjumbo” part to a single-aisle component validates the industrial feasibility of reusing thermoplastic materials.
The project relied on the specific properties of the material used: Toray Cetex® TC1100, a carbon fiber reinforced Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) thermoplastic. Unlike traditional thermoset composites, which undergo a chemical change during curing that cannot be reversed, thermoplastics can be melted, reshaped, and reformed multiple times.
The project required precise coordination across the supply-chain, with each partner fulfilling a specific role:
This development addresses one of the aviation industry’s most persistent sustainability challenges: the disposal of carbon fiber composites. While metals like aluminum and titanium have recovery rates near 90%, composites have often ended up in landfills because separating the fibers from the resin is technically difficult and expensive.
Isabell Gradert, Airbus VP of Central Research and Technology, emphasized the importance of cross-industry collaboration in achieving this milestone:
“This recognition from the JEC shows how complex challenges, including high-value recycling, are best tackled through partnership. We exist in a complex aerospace supply chain in a hyper-connected world. If a company comes up with a solution on its own, that’s a great story. If an entire industry does it together, that’s transformative.”
, Isabell Gradert, Airbus VP Central Research and Technology
Scott Unger, CEO of Toray Advanced Composites, noted that the project opens the door for high-performance materials to be “meaningfully reused and reintegrated” into structural applications, rather than being discarded.
The Shift to Thermoplastics: This project underscores the strategic advantage of thermoplastic composites over traditional thermosets. While thermosets (like those used heavily on the Boeing 787 and early A350s) offer excellent strength-to-weight ratios, they are chemically “baked” and difficult to recycle. The success of the “Recycled and Ready” program suggests that future aircraft designs may increasingly favor thermoplastics to ensure end-of-life recyclability.
Supply Chain Resilience: Beyond sustainability, this approach offers a strategic benefit. By treating retired aircraft as “material mines,” manufacturers can reduce their dependence on virgin raw materials. With over 10,000 thermoplastic parts on a single A380, the potential inventory for recycled feedstock is substantial. This could help insulate manufacturers from price volatility and supply chain disruptions in the global carbon fiber market.
From Superjumbo to Single-Aisle: Airbus Consortium Proves “Closed-Loop” Composite Recycling is Flight-Ready
Closing the Loop: The Process
Consortium Roles
Industry Significance and Executive Commentary
AirPro News Analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
Photo Credit: Airbus
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