Electric Alia begins flight testing at Eglin AFB

BETA Technologies’ Alia aircraft lifted off for its first official test flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Nov. 7, 2023.

The goal of this first test was to examine battery usage over distances with specific power configurations as well as the ground logistics of executing back-to-back flights with an electric aircraft.

The mission of the day was for Alia pilots to fly 68nm to Tyndall AFB near Panama City, Florida, land, and return. Upon returning to Duke Field, North of Eglin, the aircraft then recharged via the Defense Department’s first and only aircraft charging station. Alia took approximately an hour to fully recharge. The aircraft received a maintenance check and then a new BETA aircrew flew a second mission.

This process is similar to the military flight operation, hot-pitting, where an aircraft flies a mission, lands for refueling, and then flies again. Only with Alia, the fuel is electricity.

This was also the aircraft’s first solo mission at Eglin as well. Alia flew a local-area, Eglin range familiarization flight Nov. 3, but was accompanied by a chase aircraft.

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“Today’s mission was an excellent first step to exploring what this aircraft type can offer the Air Force and the military,” said 2nd Lt. Maria Reynoso, 413th Flight Test Squadron Agility Prime lead test engineer.

The first test also incorporated initial infrared (IR) recordings of Alia’s take-offs and landings to provide a heat signature baseline for a future test with Alia in December.

That data along with the battery-usage and logistics findings will be recorded for the overall AFWERX electric vertical take-off and landing program.

The Alia aircraft is flown and maintained by BETA Technologies operators. AFWERX Agility Prime manages and sponsors all the Alia testing here all Air Force eVTOLs programs.