Hien Aero Technologies HIEN X (concept design)

HIEN X (concept design)
HIEN Aero Technologies Co., LTD.
Koganei City, Tokyo, Japan
www.hien-aero.com

Founded in December 2021, Hien Aero Technologies is in the business of research, designing, manufacturing and sales of scalable passenger and cargo hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company is based in Koganei, Tokyo, Japan. The company's main goals is safe and excellent aerodynamics, efficient and sustainable flight, quiet aircraft, long range capability and each model is scalable. (Image credit: HIEN Aero Technologies)

HIEN hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft features:

• Has a long range distance with the use of wings and with a hybrid-electric power source
• Has a high cruise speed
• Each aircraft is scalable to larger size aircraft
• Aircraft will be made for passengers or air cargo
• The aircraft are equipped with one or more 10 kW (or greater) gas turbine hybrid-electric units, providing stable power generation performance
• The cargo aircraft can be used for Peer-to-Peer (P2P) high-speed air logistics
• The turbine engines can be used as an emergency power supply in a disaster area

HIEN X passenger long-range hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft
The HIEN X is a ten passenger long-range hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft. The aircraft is remotely piloted, uses autopilot or is piloted by artificial intelligence (AI). The X stands for a ten passenger aircraft and it also stands for the unknown specifications of this concept design aircraft as of 2024. The aircraft is planned to be designed according to customer needs for advanced air mobility (AAM).

The aircraft has a modern design made for regional travel, for travel to remote areas and for travel to areas with little to no infrastructure. The aircraft has panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment. The aircraft is planned to provide a high level of safety and a comfortable onboard experience for the passengers.

While the anticipated cruise speed of the aircraft is unknown at this time, the maximum payload weight of the aircraft is expected to be 1,000 kg (2,205 lg). The aircraft has a total of six propellers, six electric motors and is powered by one or more gas turbine engines. As of 2024, the concept design aircraft has four dedicated propellers for forward flight and has two dedicated propellers for VTOL flight. All the propellers on the aircraft are mounted on booms. The gas turbines are expected to use Jet-A1/B kerosene for fuel. It is unknown how many gas turbine engines are on this aircraft as of 2024.

The aircraft has tandem gull-wings. The rear gull-wing is a high main wing and the front wing is a smaller gull-wing mounted near the middle of the fuselage. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite material for a high strength and low weight ratio. The aircraft has fixed tricycle quadricycle wheeled landing gear.

HIEN X and its various air missions
The company foresees the HIEN X to be used for long-distance on-demand air taxi service, for corporate business use and will possibly have many other air missions applications, for advanced air mobility (AAM).

Future outlook
The company is planning to provide demonstration flights of the company's HEIN 2 air cargo aircraft during EXPO 2025 held in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. The company's air cargo aircraft is expected to be for sale by 2025 and the company anticipates some of their passenger aircraft will be ready for sale by 2030.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Passenger long-distance hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft. (The X in the name represents 10 passengers and it also stands for the unknown specifications for the concept design aircraft as of 2024.)
• Pilot: Remote, autopilot, autonomous piloting or artificial intelligence (AI) piloting
• Capacity: 10 passengers and luggage
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Range: Unknown but it is a long-range aircraft
• Maximum payload weight: 1,000 kg (2,205 lg)
• Propellers: 6 propellers (4 propellers for forward flight mounted on booms, 2 propellers for VTOL flight mounted on booms)
• Electric motors: 6 electric motors
• Power source: Gas turbines using kerosene (Jet-A1/B). It is unknown how many gas turbine engines are on this aircraft.
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment
• Wings: Tandem gull-wings (the rear wing is a high main gull-wing and the front gull-wing is a smaller gull-wing mounted near the middle of the fuselage)
• Landing gear: Fixed quadricycle wheeled landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure.

Related Aircraft:

• Hien Aero Technologies HIEN 2 (concept design)
• Hien Aero Technologies HIEN 6 (concept design)
• Hien Aero Technologies HIEN Dr-One (concept design)

Company Insights:

• Crunchbase
• Initial

Resources:

• Hien Aero Technologies website
• Hien Aero Technologies Facebook
• Hien Aero Technologies Twitter
• Hien Aero Technologies YouTube Channel
• Hien Aero Technologies Instagram
• Video: HIEN Hybrid eVTOL Story 1, HIEN Aero Technologies, July 10, 2023
• Video: HIEN Aero Technologies 2023, HIEN Aero Technologies, Sept. 13, 2023