Israeli startup could revolutionize aviation with electric vertical takeoff aircraft

Israeli aviation startup company Air VEV seeks to revolutionize the aviation industry with its Air One platform, a small electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The innovative two-seat aircraft, which secured FAA clearance for sport flights, has already attracted attention from around 2,500 buyers worldwide.

With a comparatively moderate price tag of $200,000, the light aircraft could potentially become available for a far larger number of clients who dream about owning their own aircraft. The company has already signed military contracts in the U.S. and Israel, and the aircraft is already undergoing numerous test flights. Air VEV is scheduled to start deliveries next year. 

Speaking to the news outlet Ynet News, CEO Rani Plaut explained that the startup has been seeking to secure registration for its product as a sport aircraft in the U.S. since 2020. 

“We participated in committees and discussions until the rule was approved in August,” he said. “That essentially means that by the end of 2026, we can deliver aircraft to private customers."

In addition to two people, the plane can carry a cargo of 550 pounds (250kg) and has a top speed of 155 mph (250kph). Its flight time range is currently limited to one hour. 

Prototypes for test flights are already in production in both Israel and in Florida.

“We received airworthiness approval, we have a tail number, and we are now fully on the path toward releasing products to customers,” Plaut said.

The advantage of the Israeli aircraft is that it does not need a runway to take off, as takeoff is vertical. Furthermore, the plane will fit in a standard car parking space, as its wings are foldable. 

“We believe the U.S. market for selling aircraft to private individuals numbers in the hundreds of thousands each year,” Plaut said. “That opens a new niche in aviation, where instead of selling dozens or hundreds of units, you can sell thousands." He added that the plane’s flight-control system is designed so that users with even minimal training – just 15 hours - can operate the aircraft.

Plaut rejected the idea that the plane will only be flown by the ultra-rich. 

“I don’t think so,” Plaut said. “We already have 2,500 registered customers. There are people today who own helicopters who are not extremely rich. There are more than 300,000 light private aircraft in the U.S. If someone wants to be in the air, they make it happen. It’s a matter of priorities – and in the U.S., financing options are very good. For perspective, about 20 million cars are sold in the U.S. each year. If I sell 500 aircraft annually, I become the largest aviation company in the U.S. and the world. But compared with 20 million cars, that number looks tiny.”

Air VEV is also working with the IDF, announcing last year that the company would be supplying the Defense Ministry with aircraft for logistical use. 

“The Defense Ministry bought a double-digit number of these aircraft,” said Plaut. “One has already been delivered, and the rest will begin arriving this year.”

It is possible that the use of the new aircraft could be expanded to operational missions, too.

“It starts with logistics,” Plaut said. “First customers in the U.S., Israel and elsewhere – we’re in talks with three or four more countries – always begin with logistics because it’s simplest. But discussions are advancing on broader uses. For example, the U.S. has a loyal wingman program where a fighter jet is accompanied by two remotely operated drones that expand its capabilities while the pilot makes real-time decisions. We could do the same thing, but with a combat helicopter.”