The developer of an aircraft that it describes as “so intuitive that a 4-year-old could fly it” is close to securing a major investment that could jumpstart production.
Florida-based Doroni Aerospace told FLYING it signed two agreements that could net the personal electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer up to $180 million in funding. The deals are intended to support manufacturing for Doroni’s H1-X aircraft in the Middle East, which has become a hotbed for electric aircraft activity and investment.
Doroni in September signed an initial memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabian firm Innovation Wings Industries, operating as Kingdom Aero Industries. The agreement calls for a $30 million investment into Doroni but has not yet been finalized, according to founder and CEO Doron Merdinger. A second MOU between the companies could allot an additional $150 million to build an H1-X production site in Saudi Arabia.
In a LinkedIn post, Doroni announced that it and Kingdom Aero also signed an MOU with Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Development Center, further cementing their plans in the region.
Merdinger told FLYING that the expansion aims to serve customers in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nations, but the bulk of manufacturing will happen in the U.S.
“The core will be in the U.S., a factory that will sell to the U.S. and Europe and some other countries as well,” Merdinger said. “The goal is to have two factories, in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.”
The H1-X, Doroni’s “go-to-market” model, builds on the company’s H1 concept design. Its eight vertical electric motors—two each on the aircraft’s four wings—power four in-wing electric ducted fans, allowing it to lift off like a helicopter. Two rear-mounted pusher propellers move it forward, with lift generated by the wings. The aircraft is controlled via a single joystick and touchscreen display.
“When we think about aviation, it’s over 100 years of using the same old technology of aluminum and combustion engines, and here we bring carbon fiber composites and electric propulsion, which is really long overdue,” Merdinger said. “It’s the same natural progression of cars to electric cars. This is what we’re doing in aviation.”
Merdinger envisions H1-X owners storing the aircraft at their homes within the space of a two-car garage. Eventually, he believes it will be capable of lifting off from airfields, “but not at this point.”
Initially, Doroni plans to market the vehicle solely to individuals for personal or recreational use. Merdinger said it has secured about 500 preorders and a handful of deposits.
“We see enough market in the U.S. and outside for the vehicle for that target,” he said.
Doroni hopes to certify the H1-X as a light-sport aircraft under the FAA’s proposed Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule, which could simplify pilot training and streamline the path to airworthiness. Many eVTOL air taxi manufacturers, by contrast, are using the newly introduced powered lift category in hopes of flying their aircraft in dense, urban settings. Those firms will need to type certify their models, which is a lengthy process.
While Doroni describes the H1-X as a “flying car,” the vehicle is not intended to drive on roads. Other firms are developing vehicles more aligned with the Jetsonian vision of the concept. Alef Aeronautics’ Model Zero prototype, for example, recently lifted off over the streets of California on a test flight. Manufacturers Aska and Samson Sky have also conducted test flights of models they bill as “street-legal” roadable aircraft.
So far, only two states—Minnesota and New Hampshire—have greenlit so-called “Jetsons Laws” that would permit roadable aircraft to drive on public streets.
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The post Electric Aircraft Developer Doroni Signs Agreements Worth Up to $180M appeared first on FLYING Magazine.
