VoltAero has revealed the production configuration for its Cassio aircraft, which has been designed to revolutionise general aviation with an efficient, safe and optimised family of aircraft powered by the company's hybrid-electric power module.

The Cassio utilises VoltAero's hybrid-electric power module in an aft fuselage pusher configuration, integrating a cluster of electric motors with a high-performance internal combustion engine that serves as the range extender. The powertrain is currently being validated on VoltAero's Cassio 1 flight test aircraft, ensuring a high level of maturity for certification and production.

“The Cassio production design's unveiling represents the latest step in our realistic and highly pragmatic creation of an all-new aircraft family,” says Jean Botti, VoltAero's CEO and chief technical officer. “It benefits from our team's unmatched experience in hybrid-electric aviation, as well as the ongoing full-scale flight testing that removes risk as we move toward the production phase.”

VoltAero's proprietary Cassio design is based on a sleek, aerodynamically optimised fuselage, a forward fixed canard, and an aft-set wing with twin booms that support a high-set horizontal tail.

The Cassio will be offered in three versions: the Cassio, 330, the Cassio 480 and the Cassio 600. At four, six and 10 seats respectively, the aircraft will also increase their power output as they increase in size. The Cassio has 330 kilowatts at its disposal, and so on.

Cassio aircraft will be produced at a purpose-built final assembly line in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of southwest France, with VoltAero leading a team of partners and suppliers. Licensed production opportunities will be pursued in North America and Asia.

Initial deliveries are targeted for the end of 2022, beginning with the four-seat Cassio 330 version. The aircraft will be certified to Europe's EASA CS23 certification specification as a single-engine, general aviation category aircraft.