Heart Aerospace has revealed its first full-scale demonstrator aircraft for the ES-30, a regional hybrid-electric airplane.
The demonstrator, named Heart Experimental 1 (Heart X1), is a 30-seat airplane with a 32-meter wingspan built at Heart’s facilities in Gothenburg. It will be used for ground-based testing initially, focusing on operations such as charging, taxiing, and turnaround procedures. The aircraft is expected to make its fully electric first flight in the second quarter of 2025.
“Our industry is approaching a 30-year innovation cycle, and we have less than 25 years to decarbonize aviation,” Heart Aerospace’s co-founder and CEO, Anders Forslund, said. “We need to develop new methods to get net zero aerospace technologies to market faster. It is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of our team that we’re able to roll out a 30-seat aircraft demonstrator with a brand-new propulsion system, largely in-house, in less than two years.”
The development of the Heart X1 was made possible through grants from Sweden’s Innovation Agency, Vinnova. Heart Aerospace’s next prototype, the Heart X2, is scheduled for a hybrid-electric flight in 2026 and will showcase the company’s Independent Hybrid propulsion system, which is a critical element in the ES-30’s design.
Heart Aerospace has revealed its certification roadmap, outlining the timeline for the development of its aircraft. The plan begins in 2025 with the first flight of the experimental Heart X1, followed by the Heart X2’s inaugural flight in 2026. In 2027, the Heart X2 will undergo an endurance demonstration.
The ES-30, Heart Aerospace’s flagship electric regional aircraft, will enter a phase of rapid iteration throughout 2027, with certification flight testing beginning shortly after, culminating in the full certification of the ES-30 by 2029. This ambitious timeline positions Heart Aerospace at the forefront of electric aviation, with its hybrid-electric ES-30 expected to be a fully certified and operational aircraft by the end of the decade.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded Heart Aerospace a $4.1 million grant to support the development of the hybrid-electric propulsion system, as part of the FAA’s Fuelling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) program.
The ES-30, Heart’s flagship regional aircraft, is designed to carry 30 passengers on short-haul routes and has an electric, zero-emission range of 200 kilometers (about 125 miles), extendable up to 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) using hybrid power. Heart aims to have the ES-30 fully certified and ready for market by the end of this decade.
Furthermore, Heart’s development efforts will continue with the construction of a pilot manufacturing plant, aiming to accelerate the prototyping and production of its aircraft.
