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VX4
Photo: Colin Cooke Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)

VX4

by Vertical AerospaceGB

ProtoStage 2 of 5

First piloted hover-to-wing flight in April 2026; UK approval work continues.

Updated 21 Jul 2026Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · UK type certificate (safety approval)
  1. Piloted hover-to-wing tests begin13 Nov 2025Complete.
  2. First piloted switch to wing-borne flight2 Apr 2026+4 mooriginally Dec 2025Complete.
  3. UK type certificate (safety approval)Not yet reached.

Most important updates

  • 21 Jul 2026
  • 2 Apr 2026
  • 13 Nov 2025
  • 28 Jan 2025
  • 9 Aug 2023

Current obstacles

  • Running out of moneyApproval needs hundreds of millions more; Vertical depends on investors continuing to pay.

Physics limits

  • Batteries hold about 40 times less energy per kilo than jet fuelThe best lithium-ion cells store roughly 0.25–0.3 kWh per kg; kerosene holds about 12 kWh per kg. Even after motors' higher efficiency, that caps range at tens of miles, and a battery weighs the same when empty.
  • Hovering on small rotors costs several times the power of cruiseA rotor lifts by pushing air down; the power needed rises as disc area shrinks. Small propellers must move air fast, so take-off and landing burn a big share of each trip's energy and stress the battery hardest.
  • Noise climbs steeply with blade-tip speedRotor noise grows very quickly as blade tips speed up. Making an air taxi quiet means bigger, slower-turning rotors, which add weight and drag; every design trades quietness against payload and range.

How it works

3 parts
The VX4 seen from below in wing-borne flight: four front propellers tilted forward pull it, the four rear lift rotors are stopped and lined up to cut drag
The VX4 seen from below in wing-borne flight: four front propellers tilted forward pull it, the four rear lift rotors are stopped and lined up to cut dragPhoto: Oren Rozen · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Lift

Eight propellers lift it up

Four tilting front propellers and four fixed rear ones lift it straight up from a pad, like a large drone.

Transition

Front propellers tilt forward

As speed builds the front four swing forward and the wing takes the weight; the rear four stop and line up with the airflow.

Cruise

Wing-borne and quieter

In cruise it flies like a small plane with a pilot and four passengers, using far less power than in hover.

Update log

6 updates

Tue 21 Jul

  • Minor: PressTest

Thu 2 Apr

  • Major: PressTest

Thu 13 Nov 2025

  • Minor: PressTest

Tue 28 Jan 2025

  • Minor: PressTest

Fri 19 Jul 2024

  • Minor: PressHardware

Wed 9 Aug 2023

  • Major: PressTest

About Vertical Aerospace

The team behind VX4

Vertical Aerospace

VX4 air taxi, UK

UK-based Vertical Aerospace is building the VX4, a four-passenger electric air taxi with eight propellers, four of which tilt. In 2026 it flew with a pilot from hover to wing-borne flight for the first time.

  • Began piloted tests of the hover-to-wing switch in Nov 2025 under a UK permit.
  • Flew a full piloted switch from hover to wing-borne flight in April 2026.
  • Funded mostly by Mudrick Capital, after early backing from founder Stephen Fitzpatrick.

vertical-aerospace.com (opens vertical-aerospace.com)Company profile →

Founded
201610 yrs
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Status
Public
Listed
EVTL (opens google.com)NYSE
Valuation
public
Works in
AviationAir taxis
Coverage
1 program · 6 updateslatest 21 Jul 2026checked 25 Sep
People
Stephen Fitzpatrick (opens en.wikipedia.org)Founder
Primer