Supernal, Hyundai Motor Group's AAM company, has returned to the biennial Farnborough International Airshow where it is displaying its full-scale eVTOL vehicle product concept, the S-A2, and sharing its progress toward launching commercial flights in 2028.

The S-A2 is designed to get people in urban areas to their destinations faster, and leverages expertise from Supernal's innovative aerospace engineering teams in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group's automotive designers and manufacturing teams. Built to cruise at 120 miles per hour at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 feet above ground level, the S-A2 will have an initial range of 60 miles to meet typical city operation needs. The aircraft utilises a distributed electric propulsion architecture and will operate quietly to meet community noise standards. Most importantly, the S-A2 is engineered to achieve global commercial aviation safety standards with a robust airframe structure that includes redundant components in critical systems such as powertrain, flight controls and avionics.

“We are eager to share Supernal's latest product milestone, our eVTOL product concept, with the aviation industry as we work to launch commercial advanced air mobility operations in 2028,” says Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal. “With our 'right product, right market at the right time' philosophy, the S-A2 embodies the critical work Supernal is conducting with fleet operators, suppliers, governments and Hyundai Motor Group to ensure AAM becomes a safe, economically viable and widespread mode of transportation in the coming decades.”

Supernal will initiate prototype testing of the S-A2 in 2025; prior to that, the company will begin flying its full-scale technology demonstrator (FSTD). The FSTD test programme will inform Supernal's prototype vehicle by helping to mature and validate vehicle systems, optimise supply chain processes and solidify internal testing protocols. GKN has successfully delivered the full composite wing assembly for the FSTD and will deliver the booms by the end of the month.

“2024 is a pivotal year for Supernal's eVTOL development, marking the transition from engineering design to the build and execution phases,” says David McBride, chief technology officer, Supernal. “In addition to gaining instrumental learnings from our full-scale technology demonstrator, we will also begin prototype development and continue refining our production vehicle for scaled manufacturing in the coming months.”

In pursuit of integrating AAM into existing transit options, Supernal continues to convene crucial stakeholders to responsibly co-create the industry's ecosystem.

Supernal is hosting an industry panel at the airshow in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), where Shin and leaders from Airbus, Honeywell and Kearney share perspectives on solving AAM challenges to adoption, such as regulatory gaps, the need for new infrastructure and gaining public acceptance.

“We know an eVTOL vehicle is just one piece of the AAM puzzle,” says Shin. “Building the entire ground-to-air ecosystem requires thoughtful collaboration among leaders across all aspects of the industry. The Farnborough International Airshow provides the right platform to do just that.”