Tetra Aviation successfully completes testing of the Mk-5, an eVTOL consisting of 33 propellers

The model took off in front of Federal Aviation Administration officials to obtain flight authorization certificates. According to Evtol.com, testing of the SN3 version is expected to take place soon in the skies of Japan. Weighing just over 567 kg, the Mk-5 looks more like a cross between an airplane and a helicopter than an eVTOL itself speaking. With a total of 33 propellers distributed in the biplane structure, only one of them at the rear is responsible for thrust on the horizontal axis. The other 32, divided into 8 rotor shafts, support the aircraft vertically.

Innovations

11 Oct, 2021

30 Nov, 2022

2 mins

Japanese manufacturer Tetra Aviation announced the success of flight testing of the Mk-5, a multifunction commercial commercial eVTOL (Electric vertical take-off and landing) with no less than 32 propellers on the wings and one more behind.

The electric vehicle, displayed at an air transport fair in Wisconsin, United States, has now demonstrated its first takeoffs and landings in a rural area of California, and is already receiving offers for acquisition. This is another step forward in the development of alternative vehicles, but the proposal of the Mk-5 is different from the competition of “air taxis”, which in fact already has models being tested.

The Mk-5 has three versions, all of them single-cabin aircraft. The first, SN2, is the remotely controlled version. The SN3 and SN4 variants are pilotable, the last of which is a commercial model with parts that promise to be assembled at home.

In the test, only the Mk-5 SN2 was present. The model took off in front of Federal Aviation Administration officials to obtain flight authorization certificates. According to Evtol.com, testing of the SN3 version is expected to take place soon in the skies of Japan. Weighing just over 567 kg, the Mk-5 looks more like a cross between an airplane and a helicopter than an eVTOL itself speaking. With a total of 33 propellers distributed in the biplane structure, only one of them at the rear is responsible for thrust on the horizontal axis. The other 32, divided into 8 rotor shafts, support the aircraft vertically.

In the technical aspects, the line has an aluminum structure and carbon alloy polymers. Its range ranges from 76 km to the SN2 up to 160 km for the SN4, and the maximum cruising speed, 108 km/h in the unmanned version. The commercial version will reach up to 160 km/h.

Apparently, the aircraft will have household features such as short transportation, plantation irrigation and rural pesticides. The first Mk-5 SN4 models will hit the market by the end of 2022.