Transcend Air Selects GE, Kaman to Make High-Speed VTOL

Transcend Air has tapped GE Aviation and Kaman Aerospace Group as partners in its development of a high-speed, tilt-wing VTOL aircraft.

Kaman Aerospace, a subsidiary of helicopter maker Kaman, will manufacture the Vy 400 aircraft. GE will develop and certify a custom variant of GE’s CT7-8 turboshaft helicopter engine to power it.

The Vy 400, a hybrid-electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, will travel more than 400 miles per hour at ranges of up to 450 sm and at a max altitude of 20,000 feet. That means it could make the trip from Manhattan to Boston in 36 minutes. It will carry a pilot and up to five passengers.

“On the day it is certified, the Vy 400 will simultaneously become the world’s fastest helicopter and the world’s fastest single-engine civil turboprop,” Peter Schmidt, co-founder and COO of Transcend Air, said in a statement.

Harry Nahatis, vice president and general manager of GE Rotorcraft Engines, added, “We immediately recognized the Vy 400′s disruptive potential in both civil and military rotorcraft applications, and we are excited to contribute our own world-class engines and technical expertise in helping to ensure the Vy’s success.”

Transcend plans a commercial launch in 2025.