The French government is supporting the domestic hybrid aircraft developer VoltAero with a grant of 5.6 million euros. The money is to go towards the development of the Cassio 330 hybrid aircraft.

VoltAero is planning three variants: The five-seat Cassio 330, the six-seat Cassio 480 and the twelve-seat Cassio 600. The number in the model designations stands for the propulsion power in kilowatts in each case.

The VoltAero aircraft is a completely new development and not a converted aircraft. A defining characteristic of the Cassio aircraft is a hybrid propulsion system with a pusher propeller located at the rear of the fuselage. The slender fuselage has fixed auxiliary wings called canards at the front and a wing set aft with twin booms supporting a raised horizontal tail.

“This grant is another important vote of confidence in VoltAero and our vision to develop the unique family of Cassio electric-hybrid general aviation airplanes for safe, quiet, efficient and eco-friendly flight,” says VoltAero CEO and Chief Technical Officer Jean Botti.

According to VoltAero, the funding was provided as part of the ‘France 2030’ investment plan. The latter was launched by the French government to sustainably transform key sectors of the French economy – including aviation.

In May, the company had already announced Kawasaki as a new strategic investor and started building an assembly plant at Rochefort-Charente-Maritime airport, where the hybrid planes will be built in the future.

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