AURA AERO Opens Electric and Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Flight Test Facility in October 2026

France – French aircraft manufacturer AURA AERO has officially inaugurated its new flight testing and electric propulsion development facility at Rochefort–Charente-Maritime Airport on 9 October 2026. The site will support the development and validation of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft technologies, including propulsion systems for its planned ERA regional aircraft, while expanding the manufacturer's civil and military aerospace development capabilities.

• The Rochefort facility occupies infrastructure previously developed for VoltAero, comprising approximately 2,412 square metres of building space on a 7,400-square-metre site with direct runway access. AURA AERO's establishment at the airport follows its acquisition of VoltAero's assets earlier in 2026.
• The facility will support aircraft prototyping, engineering and flight testing, with the manufacturer's X-VOLT hybrid-electric demonstrator serving as a flying testbed for the validation of propulsion technologies before their integration into future aircraft.
• AURA AERO returned X-VOLT, formerly VoltAero's Cassio S demonstrator, to flight at Rochefort in September 2026. The manufacturer reported that X-VOLT and its fully electric INTEGRAL E prototype had accumulated more than 350 hybrid-electric and electric flights between them.
• The 9 October inauguration included flight demonstrations by X-VOLT and an INTEGRAL aircraft. The manufacturer intends to use the site for continued technology development and testing, including applications supporting civil and military aviation.
• For the pilot training market, AURA AERO is developing the two-seat INTEGRAL E electric aircraft for ab initio instruction, Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) and other training applications. The aircraft remains in the certification process, with the manufacturer's current product roadmap indicating availability from December 2027.
• AFM previously reported that AURA AERO opened its US headquarters and North American aircraft delivery and customer support facility at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Research Park in Daytona Beach, Florida, in November 2025. The 11,000-square-foot facility supports the company's INTEGRAL aircraft family and its wider international manufacturing plans.
• X-VOLT is equipped with Safran ENGINeUS electric motors, allowing AURA AERO to evaluate propulsion components under actual flight conditions. The technologies will contribute to the development of ERA, a proposed 19-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft designed around eight electric motors and two turbogenerators, with its first flight currently targeted for late 2027.

About AURA AERO
AURA AERO is a French aircraft manufacturer founded in 2018 and headquartered at Toulouse-Francazal Airport, specialising in general aviation training aircraft, electric propulsion and hybrid-electric regional aircraft development. Its aircraft portfolio includes the EASA-certified INTEGRAL R two-seat training and aerobatic aircraft, the INTEGRAL S, the developing all-electric INTEGRAL E and the ERA regional aircraft, alongside military and unmanned aviation programs.

Source: AURA AERO