Alauda Aeronautics unveiled the new Airspeed Mk4 and is seeking OEM partners to join it in a motorsport revolution. The new model is designed and built in Adelaide, South Australia and is currently the world’s fastest electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVolt) aircraft.
The new Airspeed Mk4 is capable of reaching a top speed of 360 kph in 30the vehicle is seconds, the vehicle is designed to set the bar for performance and technology in the radical new sport of piloted Airspeeder racing.
The Airspeeder Mk4 is extremely efficient with a range of 300 km thanks to its sophisticated electric propulsion system. Advanced aerodynamics and a take-off weight (MTOW) of just 950 kg. The new aircraft is based on the remotely-piloted Mk3 which completed more than 350+ test flights and took part in the South Australia Airspeed demonstration race in 2022.
The Mk4 is intended primarily for racing like all Airspeeders therefore designed for maximum agility at high speeds and low altitudes.
The Airspeeder Mk4 is powered by a 1,340 hp turbo generator that delivers power to the batteries and motors. Alauda Aeronautics’ demonstrator ‘Thunderstrike’ engine incorporates a unique combustor designed to keep the hydrogen flame temperature low, thus reducing nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions.
Most eVTOLs steer using tilt-rotors, the Mk4 manoeuvres using a unique gimballed thrust system, whereby an Artificial Intelligence (AI) flight controller individually adjusts four rotor pairs mounted on lightweight 3D printed gimbals. This makes the Mk4 fast in a straight line and able to manoeuvre with incredible precision.
Flight tests for the Mk4 chassis and powertrain, including the first crewed flights of the airframe, is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2023. The aircraft will be ready to take the start line at the Airspeeder Racing Championship in 2024.
Alauda Aeronautics is already looking beyond racing to a world where private flying cars are a daily reality, and a viable means of urban transport. Its team of engineers and designers are confident its technologies could make air travel faster, more efficient, more environmentally friendly and more accessible than ever before.
