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SkyDrive SD-05 (prototype)

SkyDrive SD-05 prototype eVTOL multicopter aircraft on a test flight.

(Photo credit: SkyDrive)

SD-05 (prototype)
SkyDrive Inc.
Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
www.skydrive2020.com

Founded in July 2018, SkyDrive Inc. is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturer based in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Tomohiro Fukuzawa is the chief executive officer and Nobuo Kishi is the chief technology officer. The mission of the company is to take the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution to design and produce eVTOL passenger and air cargo aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). According to a SkyDrive article on April 6, 2023, its cumulative funding has now exceeded ¥15 billion yen. As of July 2024, the company is looking to raise more funds for their eVTOL passenger aircraft. (All images: SkyDrive)

The company's goals is to make eVTOL aircraft safer than conventional aircraft, less costly, less noisy, autonomous and that require less infrastructure. The plan is to start using the aircraft in the mid-2020s for air transportation of goods and people in areas where conventional public transportation is slow or almost nonexistent in rural and urban areas. The company's vision is to create a future where everyone has access to eVTOL aircraft as their daily transportation in Japan and across the world.

SD-05 passenger eVTOL prototype multicopter aircraft
SkyDrive has revealed their full-scale SD-05 passenger eVTOL prototype multicopter aircraft. The company has made several SD-05 prototype aircraft. The aircraft number on one of their prototypes is JX0187. (J is for Japan and X is most likey for experimental.) The first prototype aircraft was flight tested in January and February 2025 according to company's comments on one of their YouTube videos. Flight testing of their first prototype might have taken place earlier than January 2025 but we can't confirm this.

The company has also made successful public demonstration flights at Expo 2025 (Osaka, Kansai, Japan) starting in April and ending in September. The first demonstration flight for Expo 2025 took place on April 9, 2025. The last planned demonstration flight was planned to take place on September 23, 2025 at the Expo. The company also displayed a full-scale mock-up of the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft at Expo 2025 where convention goers could sit inside the aircraft.

Expo 2025 was a World Expo, supervised by the Bureau International des Expositions (France), that was open for six month from April 13, 2025 through October 13, 2025. This particular World Expo is now taking place every five years and takes place in a different country each time.

The company's website lists several specifications for the aircraft, they are listed here. The aircraft holds one pilot, two passengers and their luggage. The aircraft has 12 propellers, 12 electric motors and is powered by batteries. The maximum cruise speed of the prototype is 100 km/h 62 mph) and has a range of 15 km (9.32 miles). The company states as battery technology becomes better, the range of the aircraft will increase. The maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft is 1,400 kg (3,086 lb). The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite and uses an aircraft aluminum alloy. The prototype has fixed skid landing gear.

As noted by the company, these efforts support SkyDrive’s goal of aircraft certification and seamless eVTOL integration into daily transportation systems. SkyDrive is also committed to increasing public understanding and acceptance of this emerging transportation technology.

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL prototype aircraft
  • Piloting: 1 pilot
  • Capacity: 2 passengers and their luggage
  • Maximum cruise speed: 100 km/h  (62 mph)
  • Range: 15 km (9.32 miles)
  • Maximum takeoff weight: 1,400 kg (3,086 lb)
  • Propellers: 12 propellers
  • Electric motors: 12 electric motors
  • Power source: Batteries
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite and aircraft aluminum alloy
  • Windows: Panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left and right visibility for spectacular views with a solid roof above the passenger compartment
  • Landing gear: Skid type landing gear
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. The aircraft has no moving surfaces or tilting parts when transitioning from vertical to forward flight and the reverse which increases safety by reducing complexity.

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