ARC Aerosystems C-600 (production model)
C-600 (production model)
ARC Aerosystems
Cranfield, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
www.arcaerosystems.com
Founded in 2017, ARC Aerosystems (formerly Samad Aerospace) is a technology start-up company set out to design and manufacture safe, eco-friendly, scalable, luxury electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) and hybrid-electric VTOL passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM) and for air cargo. Since its founding, the company has generated over 10,000 pages of technical reports as a result of more than 100,000 engineering work hours. The company is based in the United Kingdom and is financed by venture capital and is looking for additional funding. (All images: ARC Aerosystems)
The company has designed multiple models of eVTOL and hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft to help shape the future with eco-friendly door-to-door urban air transportation. The ultimate goal of the aircraft is to give back time to the air traveler compared to lengthy time it takes today to fly with conventional air travel.
As of 2023, ARC Aerosystems has acquired the following patent and design rights:
- Utility: Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) propulsion system on blended wing body (BWB) passenger aircraft (European Patent Corporation Treaty).
- Design: Vehicle configuration of two-in-one air-and-ground vehicle unit (United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office).
- Utility: Power management (battery packs) on two-in-one air-and-ground vehicle unit (United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office).
The C-600 is a VTOL heavy-lift cargo aircraft, that has the option of having an all electric power source or a hybrid-electric power source. The aircraft is piloted remotely using Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) technology and in the future, the aircraft will be flown autonomously. The only difference in the specifications between the all-electric and hybrid-electric models is the range and flight time. The all-electric model has a range of 217 km (135 miles) and has a flight time 1 hour, 40 minutes. The hybrid-electric model has a range of 644 km (400 miles) and flight time 6 hours, 40 minutes.
Each model has nine propellers and and nine electric motors for propulsion. There are eight dedicated propellers for VTOL flight and one pusher propeller for forward flight. The aircraft has one main wing, a T-tail with fixed skid landing gear. Both models have the same specifications for the cruise speed 120 km/h (74.5 mph), has a maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph) and a service ceiling of 3,048 m (10,000 ft). For both models, the empty weight is 340 kg (749 lb), has a maximum payload of 150 kg (330 lb) and has a maximum takeoff weight of 600 kg (1,322 lb). The length of both aircraft is 6.7 m (22 ft), with a wing span 8.16 m (26 ft, 9 in) and a height 2.7 m (8 ft, 10 in).
The company foresees the C-600 to be used for air cargo, logistics, medical air services and for humanitarian aid. The aircraft will be certified under a light sport aircraft [LSA] certification which has a maximum takeoff weight of 600 kg (1,323 lb). The aircraft successfully finished mid-transition testing in August 2022 and the company plans the aircraft to be for sale by 2024.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: eVTOL and hybrid-electric VTOL cargo aircraft
- Piloting: Remotely (and in the future, autonomous)
- Capacity: Cargo
- Cruise speed: 120 km/h (74.5 mph)
- Maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph)
- Range (all-electric): 217 km (135 miles)
- Flight time (all-electric): 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Range (hybrid-electric): 644 km (400 miles)
- Flight time (hybrid-electric): 6 hours, 40 minutes
- Service ceiling: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
- Empty weight: 340 kg (749 lb)
- Maximum payload: 150 kg (330 lb)
- Maximum takeoff weight: 600 kg (1,322 lb)
- Length 6.7 m (21 ft, 11.8 in)
- Wing span 8.16 m (26 ft, 9.26 in)
- Height 2.7 m (8 ft, 10.29 in)
- Propellers: 9 propellers (8 VTOL propellers, 1 pusher propeller)
- Electric motors: 9 electric motors
- Power source: Batteries
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
- Wings: 1 main wing
- Tail: T-tail
- Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
- Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies in the sub-systems of the aircraft.
Related Aircraft:
- ARC Aerosystems C-150 (production model)
- ARC Aerosystems e-Starling Jet (concept design)
- ARC Aerosystems HUMA (concept design)
- ARC Aerosystems Linx P9
- ARC Aerosystems Q-Starling (concept design)
- ARC Aerosystems Starling Cargo (concept design)
- ARC Aerosystems Starling Cargo S5M (demonstrator)
- ARC Aerosystems Starling Jet (concept design)
- ARC Aerosystems UAV Starling (concept design)
Company Insights:
Resources:
- ARC Aerosystems website
- ARC Aerosystems Facebook
- ARC Aerosystems Twitter
- ARC Aerosystems YouTube Channel
- ARC Aerosystems Instagram
- ARC Aerosystems LinkedIn
- Article: ARC Aerosystems’ Seyed Mohseni on the company’s eVTOL concepts and path to certify a regional aircraft, Vertical Magazine, Dec. 15, 2022
- Video: Full Transition test of ARC C600, ARC Aerosystems, Jan. 24, 2023
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