Electra Defense has received a $4.7 million innovative capabilities opening (ICO) contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to fund ground and flight testing of the hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems on its EL9 ultra-short takeoff and landing (Ultra-STOL) aircraft. The work includes extensive ground testing of the EL9 preproduction aircraft and acoustic flight tests of battery-only, low-signature ingress and egress for special operations missions.

Manassas, Virginia-based Electra Defense announced the award in a press release dated November 9, 2026. The company said the contract is meant to produce performance data that helps the U.S. Air Force assess Ultra-STOL aircraft, and that results will inform future Air Force technology and acquisition decisions.

What the Air Force is paying to test

According to Electra, the ICO covers the EL9 and its hybrid-electric propulsion systems. Technical evaluations will look at aircraft performance, propulsion system functionality and operational effectiveness, with activities that include verifying key power and propulsion technologies.

The program also includes modeling and simulation work. Electra said this will assess operations from more locations, rapid dispersal of personnel and time-sensitive cargo, and reduced reliance on traditional aviation infrastructure and ground support equipment. The release ties the work to expanded operational access, distributed logistics and the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine.

Donn Yates, vice president and general manager of Electra Defense, said: “Power and propulsion are fundamental to unlocking new capabilities for military aviation.” He said the contract will help quantify the advantages of hybrid-electric Ultra-STOL aircraft, and described the combination of hybrid-electric power, distributed propulsion and ultra-short takeoff and landing as a fundamentally discriminating approach to tactical mobility.

A longer Air Force relationship

Electra said the award extends a longstanding AFRL partnership. AFWERX, the Department of the Air Force’s innovation arm, said in a January 23, 2026 success story that Electra had received nine AFWERX contracts since December 2020. In 2023, AFWERX awarded the company a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) of up to $85 million to develop a full-scale pre-production prototype. AFWERX said that three-year contract combines $30 million in Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and other funds with $55 million in private investment.

According to AFWERX, Electra took part in AFRL’s Future Flag 25-3 exercise in September 2025 and completed government-directed tests, a milestone under the STRATFI contract. Electra introduced Electra Defense as a business unit for defense missions using the EL9 in December 2025, and the company has also won a U.S. Army SBIR contract for hybrid-electric powertrain, power and propulsion work.

The U.S. military is evaluating runway-independent aircraft for austere and contested environments, including the Indo-Pacific, AFWERX said, with hybrid-powered aircraft potentially supporting logistics, ship-to-shore transport and personnel recovery.

Where the EL9 program stands

The EL9 is a nine-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft that Electra says can take off and land in as little as 150 feet. AFWERX said the aircraft would carry 1,000 lbs. over 1,000 nautical miles and generate 600 kW of expeditionary power. Electra’s design uses a turbogenerator to supply continuous power to distributed electric propulsors along the wing, which accelerate airflow to increase lift at low speed, an architecture covered by its three US patents in February.

In that February 11, 2026 release, Electra said its two-seat EL2 technology demonstrator had completed flight testing with the company’s proprietary propulsion system, that first EL9 test flights are planned for 2027, and that certification and commercial service entry are anticipated in late 2029 into 2030 under FAA Part 23. Electra has also carried out a demonstration at the Downtown Skyport heliport in Lower Manhattan, which the company said is believed to be the first landing there by a fixed-wing aircraft without vertical takeoff capability.

On the production side, Electra has selected Springfield, Ohio, for its first EL9 production facility. The company said in a November 5, 2026 release that the planned Springfield plant is an $850 million development expected to support production of up to 800 aircraft per year.

Electra says it has more than 2,200 letters of intent from more than 60 commercial customers, and lists the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and NASA among its contracted customers. Its strategic investors include Lockheed Martin Ventures, Honeywell and Safran. The company says its Ultra Short aircraft offer 2.5 times the payload, 10 times the range and 70% lower operating costs than helicopters and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded Textron Aviation an $18.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for one Beechcraft King Air 360CER, designated the UC-12W+, plus an initial package of spare parts for the U.S. Marine Corps. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2028, the same year four more UC-12W+ aircraft already in production are expected.

Textron Aviation announced the order in a press release dated November 9, 2026, and said the contract was awarded on September 28, 2026. According to the release, the Marine Corps’ active Operational Support Airlift inventory includes nine operational UC-12W and UC-12W+ aircraft, and the program projects a fleet of 30 UC-12W aircraft.

What the UC-12W+ is built to do

Textron Aviation describes the UC-12W+ as a tactical airlift platform for short-notice, time-sensitive, high-priority missions. The cabin can be reconfigured for passengers, cargo or mixed-use utility, and the aircraft can carry medical evacuation litters. The eight-seat passenger layout can be changed for cargo or medical transport.

The aircraft is based on the King Air 360CER and has extended-range fuel tanks, a large cargo door, Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion avionics and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines. Mission equipment listed by Textron Aviation includes secure military avionics and communications, night-vision-compatible lighting, weather detection, gravel-runway protection and aircraft survivability systems.

The release carries NAVAIR public release number SPR2026-0743 and contains no quotes from Marine Corps or Textron Aviation officials.

Where the UC-12W fleet is heading

The UC-12W aircraft are replacing the Marine Corps’ legacy nondeployable UC-12F, UC-12M and UC-35D utility aircraft, according to Textron Aviation. The fleet operates from Marine Corps Air Stations and transportation squadrons, including Camp Pendleton, California.

The September 28 award covers a single aircraft, while the service’s budget plans call for larger buys. Aviation Week reported on May 6, 2026, that the Marine Corps plans to buy 10 UC-12W support aircraft in fiscal 2027, with seven more planned for 2028, and that the Department of the Navy’s budget request includes $204.5 million to buy the modified Beechcraft C-12 Hurons from Textron Aviation. According to that report, the plan would nearly double the UC-12W fleet in one year.

Textron Aviation’s release does not say whether the new contract is part of those fiscal 2027 purchases, and it gives no schedule for retiring the UC-12F, UC-12M and UC-35D aircraft or for reaching the 30-aircraft fleet.

Other King Air 360 military business

The King Air 360 family has drawn other government buyers in 2026. AirPro News has reported on the Peruvian Army’s King Air 360C selection in April 2026 and on a Philippine King Air 360ER surveillance deal in January 2026.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has been selected to deliver the S-92A+, the newest variant of its S-92 helicopter, to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) for the service’s Presidential Helicopter II program. Lockheed Martin announced the selection on November 6, 2026, without disclosing the number of aircraft, the contract value or a delivery schedule.

The selection keeps the S-92 family in a role it already fills in South Korea. The ROKAF took delivery of three S-92 helicopters in 2007 and has relied on them for nearly two decades of presidential transport, according to the Lockheed Martin press release. Korea Aviation Engineering & Maintenance Service (KAEMS), a subsidiary of Korea Aerospace Industries, will complete the mission equipment in South Korea.

What the contract covers

Beyond the helicopters themselves, the contract covers additional special mission equipment and sustainment support, including critical spare parts and field service representation, according to Lockheed Martin. The release does not say how many S-92A+ aircraft the ROKAF will receive.

Wonik Lee, South Korea country executive for Lockheed Martin, said: “We are deeply honored that the S-92A+ has been selected as the Republic of Korea’s presidential helicopter.” He said he was confident the aircraft would continue “supporting this critical mission with the highest standards of safety and reliability,” pointing to the platform’s shared presidential transport heritage in South Korea, the United States and other nations. Lee said the milestone reflects Lockheed Martin’s “longstanding commitment to the ROK-U.S. alliance.”

What the S-92A+ adds

The S-92A+ adds upgraded engines, a new Phase IV main gearbox and increased payload or fuel capacity, according to the release. Sikorsky gave more detail on the configuration in March 2026, when it said it was standardizing all production aircraft on the S-92A+, each with the Phase IV main gearbox and upgraded engines.

In that March release, Sikorsky said the Phase IV gearbox has a minimum operating lifecycle of more than 6,000 flight hours, with longer intervals between overhauls, and auxiliary lubrication that lets the helicopter complete a flight safely even if primary oil pressure is lost. At the time, the gearbox was in its final 200 hours of endurance testing. Increased shaft horsepower from the GE CT7-8A6 engines maintains power across a wider range of temperatures in hot and high-altitude conditions, and the added engine power and airframe strengthening raise maximum gross weight to 27,700 pounds, which Sikorsky said provides an additional 1,200 pounds of payload or fuel. AirPro News has previously reported on the Phase IV gearbox’s safety features.

The configuration began as an upgrade kit. In April 2020, Sikorsky signed Canada’s VIH Aviation Group as the first S-92A+ kit customer, for four kits. At that point, Sikorsky said full-scale testing had shown the gearbox could provide return-to-base capability over more than 400 nautical miles if primary lubrication oil pressure was lost. The S-92A+ capability remains available as a retrofit kit for any S-92A, with an option for upgraded engines, according to the March 2026 release.

Production in Stratford and Owego

Sikorsky is ramping up S-92A+ production in Stratford, Connecticut, and Owego, New York, with capacity to produce up to 12 aircraft a year, according to the November 6 release. In March 2026, when Sikorsky announced that it was preparing its first S-92A+ production batch, it said the aircraft were for a new head-of-state transport customer and anticipated orders from head-of-state and offshore-energy customers.

That March release said a 14th country had ordered two aircraft for head-of-state transport, and that Sikorsky would assemble those two plus three additional S-92A+ aircraft. Stratford will produce S-92 dynamic components, including the main gearbox, blades and drivetrains, while the Owego workforce has delivered 23 new U.S. presidential helicopters based on the S-92A platform. Sikorsky also delivered two S-92A aircraft to head-of-state customers in Asia and the Middle East in 2025, according to the same release.

The S-92 in South Korea and worldwide

Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky’s partnership with South Korea spans more than 70 years and includes the Black Hawk, Seahawk and S-92 programs, according to the company. Beyond presidential transport, S-92 helicopters have supported Korea Coast Guard search and rescue, as well as firefighting and lifesaving missions for the National 119 Rescue Headquarters, part of the National Fire Agency.

Worldwide, Lockheed Martin said the S-92 fleet has logged more than 2.6 million flight hours, with an average lifetime availability rate of more than 90%, and that more than 300 aircraft have been delivered across 28 countries. The type supports head-of-state and VIP transport, offshore energy and search and rescue missions, and is the foundation for the U.S. Marine Corps’ VH-92A Patriot presidential helicopter, which continues Sikorsky’s record of transporting every U.S. president since 1957.