Manta Aircraft ANN Cargo
ANN Cargo
Manta Aircraft SA
Sesto Calende, Varese, Lombardy, Italy
www.mantaaircraft.com
Based in Sesto Calende, Italy, Manta Aircraft is a design and manufacturing company of hybrid-electric vertical short takeoff and landing (HeV/STOL) aircraft for Regional Air Mobility (RAM). The company is only working a hybrid-electric power source for their aircraft based on the goal of providing a long-range high-speed, point-to-point aircraft. When battery technology matures allowing the aircraft to have high-speeds and a long range, is when the company will be able to switch over to an all-electric VTOL aircraft.
The name ANN, in the model name, is a tribute to Marchesini's partner Annalisa Sericano who passed away in 2019. Sericano was an accomplished glider pilot and loved the Manta Aircraft project, so Marchesini's friends and colleagues decided to name their aircraft ANN, in her memory.
The company is designing their aircraft using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software for all aspects of their aircraft, including but not limited to flight dynamics, flight controls and its power source. The company plans to sell their aircraft to the consumer, to businesses and to the government.
The Manta Aircraft ANN Cargo is based on the ANN4 aircraft's airframe and can hold cargo plus one pilot and one crew member for Regional Air Cargo (RAC) service. The Ann Cargo aircraft will be used where VTOL or STOL long-range and high speed air cargo transportation is needed. While the payload for the cargo is unknown, V/STOL fast long-range air cargo service has been needed for decades. When this service becomes available in the near future, there is a high probably their aircraft will be booked to capacity.
The company states their aircraft can take off and land vertically, or with its canard wings and wheeled landing gear, the aircraft can take off and land on very short runways and provide long-range flight without the need of conventional airports. By using a hybrid-electric power system (using a turbine engine to produce electricity for the electric motors, avionics systems, interior climate control and charging onboard batteries during flight), the aircraft can carry a higher payload and have a longer flight range.
As the airframe is like a conventional plane, the company expects certification to take place faster than newly manufactured eVTOL aircraft. The company also states all their aircraft are being designed for autonomous flight in the future.
The aircraft is made using a modular design to make it easy to manufacturer and repair the aircraft. If part of the aircraft gets damaged, due to its modular design, it will be easy to fix the aircraft. The company has done everything to reduce the number of components in the aircraft, making it easier for maintenance crew to fix the aircraft.
One of the goals of Manta Aircraft is to make their hybrid-electric vertical/short takeoff and landing (HeV/STOL) aircraft have exceptional maneuvering capabilities by mixing an airplane and helicopter-type capabilities into one vehicle.
The company's goal is to keep the selling price of the aircraft to be less than or equal to the price of a helicopter. However, the operating cost of the aircraft is expected to be much less than the operating cost of a helicopter. The target is to make the Manta Aircraft's operating cost around $250 per hour and keeping spare parts costs to a minimum. The company plans to start the certification for the ANN2, the first model, in 2023 with the goal to begin production in 2025.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric vertical short takeoff and landing (HeV/STOL) aircraft
- Piloting: 1 pilot
- Capacity: 1 passenger
- Cargo maximum payload: Unknown
- Flight controls: Fly-by-wire plus a network of flight control computers making it easier for pilots to fly the aircraft
- Cruise speed: Unknown
- Range: Unknown
- Propellers: 8 ducted fans. (4 ducted fans for VTOL are stationary. 4 tilting ducted fans for VTOL flight.)
- Electric Motors: 8 electric motors
- Power source: Hybrid-electric
- Windows: Panoramic canopy with forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views for the passengers.
- Wings: Canard wings
- Landing gear: Tricycle-wheeled retractable landing gear
- Safety Features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers and motors on the aircraft so if one or more motors or propellers fail, the other working motors and propellers can safely land the aircraft. The aircraft can also land like a conventional airplane its VTOL capability becomes disabled.
Company Insights:
Resources:
- Manta Aircraft website
- Manta Aircraft Facebook
- Manta Aircraft Twitter
- Manta Aircraft Instagram
- Manta Aircraft LinkedIn
- Formula Air Grand Prix website
- Formula Air Grand Prix Facebook
- Formula Air Grand Prix Instagram
- Formula Air Grand Prix LinkedIn
- Article: Manta Aircraft promises sleek, beautiful eV/STOL future with Swiss elegance and precision, Urban Air Mobility News, Nov. 19, 2020
- Article: Manta Aircraft begin demonstrator trials of its “ANN Series”, Urban Air Mobility News, Nov. 26, 2020
- Article: Manta Aircraft: One to look out for in 2021, Urban Air Mobility News, Dec. 22, 2020
- Article: Manta prepares to flight test a neat hybrid eVTOL/eSTOL prototype, Urban Air Mobility News, Dec. 29, 2020
- Article: Swiss company prepares to test its hybrid-electric VTOL/STOL prototype, Inceptive Mind, Jan. 4, 2021
- Article: Q-and-A with Manta Aircraft CEO Lucas Marchesini, eVTOL Magazine, Jan. 13, 2021
- Video: TATV Event Spotlight :Manta's eVTOL ripe for investment, Times Aerospace TV, Nov. 16, 2021
- Article: From the mini-shuttle to the flying taxi, the wonders of Made in Italy take off, La Stampa, Dec. 8, 2021
- Video: Aerial mobility, a revolution is coming, RSI, Jan. 1, 2022
- Article: Helicopter luminary Fabio Nannoni joins the Advisory Board of HeV/STOL specialist Manta Aircraft, Manta Aircraft, Feb. 4, 2022
- Article: Are flying electric taxis really ready? All doubts about a sector that is still struggling to take off, Forbes Italy, Feb. 9, 2022
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