Two months after acquiring the assets of fellow French electric aircraft developer VoltAero, Aura Aero has returned the former Cassio S hybrid-electric demonstrator to flight at Rochefort Airport under the new name, X-Volt.

The aircraft is among the first hybrid-electric demonstrators to have built up substantial real-world flight experience. Since flight testing began in 2019, it had completed more than 270 flights and around 15,500 miles under VoltAero, giving Aura Aero a proven platform rather than a clean-sheet development. Its flight data, patented technologies and several years of testing will feed into the company’s ERA and Integral E programmes.

The acquisition also brought Aura Aero a 25,000 sq ft Rochefort site with direct runway access, used for assembly, engineering and testing, along with patents, prototyping capability and part of VoltAero’s team. Jérémy Caussade, president and co-founder of Aura Aero, says: “Acquiring VoltAero’s assets, and in particular the Cassio S, means integrating years of testing, data and experience in hybrid-electric propulsion.”

The X-Volt will now act as a flying testbed for the ERA’s propulsion system, supporting development of Aura Aero’s planned 19-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft, due to fly for the first time in late 2027. It is equipped with Safran ENGINeUS electric motors, the same units selected for the ERA, allowing Aura Aero to trial elements of the future aircraft’s propulsion system under flight conditions before they are integrated into the prototype. The aircraft will also be available to test systems developed by Aura Aero or by industry partners seeking a flight-test platform, and the wider VoltAero acquisition is expected to support the Integral programme and the Enbata drone project.

Between the X-Volt and Integral E, Aura Aero has now completed more than 350 hybrid or electric flights, giving the company two established testbeds and a second industrial base as it develops its next generation of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft.