Katla Aero Katla 700

Katla 700
Katla Aero AB
Brottby, Sweden
www.katla.aero

Katla Aero was founded in 2019 by Gustav Wiberg, Erik Wiberg, Magnus Wiberg, Josef Wirsen and Gustav Borgefalk, and is headquartered in Sweden. The company is a civilian manufacturer of electric drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM) in urban and rural areas.

Katla Aero has several objectives:

• To make aircraft which combine the best qualities of helicopters and airplanes
• To make eco-friendly aircraft to help reduce climate change
• To help educate the general public on the benefits of electric aircraft
• To manufacture the fastest eVTOL aircraft in the world
• To design the most attractive eVTOL aircraft in the world
• To make the most efficient eVTOL aircraft in the world
• To make the smartest eVTOL aircraft in the world
• To sell eVTOL passenger aircraft so that many more people can experience the joy and freedom of flying

The Katla 700 is a sleek futuristic looking eVTOL two passenger aircraft using a novel closed-wing aircraft design using ten fixed VTOL propellers and two fixed forward flight propellers, using a total of 12 electric motors. The estimated maximum speed of the aircraft is 450 km/h (280 mph), has a range of 200 km (124 m) and has a maximum payload: 200 kg (441 lb).

A closed-wing design on an aircraft is where the front wing is a low wing and then loops back and connects seamlessly to a high rear wing without any wingtips. (This type of wing design has also been called a box-wing design, a radical closed-wing design, a novel closed-wing design and a closed-wing design.) This wing design reduces the amount of drag acting on the aircraft which translated to less fuel being used for flight. This type of wing efficiency is very important to the owner or company of the aircraft because take-off and landing using an aircraft with a conventional wing is where a lot of fuel is burned and creates most of the emissions from the engines. Having a closed-wing design on an eVTOL aircraft will reduce the drag coefficient of the wings and improve the aerodynamic efficiency which will in turn, increase the range of the aircraft.

According to a 2012 NASA article, Lockheed Martin has been studying the closed-wing concept design for three decades to reduce airplane emissions. Lockheed Martin's closed-wing design reduces takeoff and landing emissions of nitrogen oxides by 50 percent when compared to the engines currently being used by airliners in 2012. Lockheed Martin has been waiting for lightweight composite materials, landing gear technologies, hybrid-laminar flow and other tools to make the closed-wing a viable and profitable configuration. Apparently, Katla Aero has made a successful closed-wing design for their eVTOL drone and passenger aircraft.

The aircraft has a canopy over the cockpit for spectacular views for the passengers. The aircraft has a carbon fiber composite fuselage and wings, which strengthens the superstructure of the aircraft, reduces its weight, makes the aircraft more crash worthy and increases the service life of the aircraft. The aircraft has wheeled retractable landing gear to make it easy to taxi and move the aircraft by hand when on a tarmac or in a hangar.

The company has also noted their aircraft can be used for air cargo service. Several recent online articles from 2021 and 2022, have revealed that Katla Aero stated they plan on flying a demonstration flight by October 2022 and they estimate to have their aircraft operational for public use by 2025.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger and/or cargo aircraft
• Piloting: Unknown
• Capacity: 2 passengers
• Maximum speed: 450 km/h (280 mph)
• Range: 200 km (124 m)
• Flight Time: Unknown
• Cruise altitude: Unknown
• Maximum payload: 200 kg (441 lb)
• Propellers: 10 fixed VTOL propellers and 2 fixed forward flight propellers
• Electric Motors: 12 electric motors
• Power source: Batteries
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Canopy over cockpit allowing forward, left, right, top and rear visibility, for spectacular views for the passengers
• Wings: Novel closed-wing design
• Tail: V-tail which is seamlessly connected to the aircraft's closed-wing
• Landing gear: Retractable wheeled 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.

Resources:

• Katla Aero website
• Katla Aero Facebook
• Katla Aero Instagram
• Katla Aero LinkedIn
• Article: Research project with electric aircraft and drones for a prosperous countryside, Cision News, June 17, 2020
• Article: Electric aviation in Sweden – how far has development progressed?, RI.SE, May 3, 2021
• Video: First autonomous intercity flight BVLOS between Linköping and Norrköping in project CORUS English, Independent Business Group, Dec. 21, 2021
• Article: CORUS-XUAM eVTOL to fly between Swedish cities in 3Q22 to demonstrate U-space services, Unmanned Air Space, Jan. 24, 2022