Otto Aerospace has appointed Scott Drennan as president and chief executive officer as the Phantom 3500 business jet programme moves from concept development into execution.

Drennan succeeds Paul Touw, who has led the company since 2022. Otto Aerospace says the transition reflects a deliberate shift from vision and formation towards aircraft development, production and market delivery.

The company credits Touw with building the organisation around founder Bill Otto Sr.’s laminar flow aerodynamics technology and establishing the leadership team now tasked with bringing the Phantom 3500 to market.

“Great companies are built in chapters, and Paul was exactly the leader we needed to guide Otto through its formative years,” says Otto Aerospace board chair Dennis Muilenburg. “He had the vision to see what this technology could become and the conviction to build a great organisation around it.”

“Now, as our company transitions from conceptual design to building and flying aircraft, Scott is exactly the right leader for our next chapter,” he adds.

Drennan joined Otto Aerospace has led several recent programme milestones, including completion of the Phantom’s Preliminary Design Review in February and independent flight tests of the company’s laminar flow drone developed with DARPA.

Otto Aerospace says the drone demonstrations validated the real-world application of its laminar flow technology and support broader ambitions in both civil and defence aviation markets.

Before joining Otto Aerospace, Drennan served as vice president of innovation and advanced concepts at Bell Textron, where he worked across multiple commercial and military certification programmes. He also served as chief R&D officer and founding member at Supernal, Hyundai’s aerospace division.