Heart Aerospace reports the first flight of its electric aircraft prototype X1
Heart Aerospace has completed the maiden flight of its battery-electric demonstrator X1, which the company claims is the largest electric aircraft to ever fly. The aircraft is intended to serve as the technical foundation for the hybrid-electric regional aircraft ES-30.
Heart Aerospace announced that it conducted the first flight of X1 earlier this week. The demonstrator aircraft has a wingspan of 32.3 meters, a length of 23.2 meters, a height of 7.3 meters, and a takeoff weight of over 11,340 kilograms. This makes it “the largest battery-powered aircraft to ever fly,” declares the Los Angeles-based developer proudly.
The flight took place on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at a test site at Plattsburgh International Airport, a regional commercial airport in the northern part of New York state. According to Heart Aerospace, the manned flight lasted 27 minutes and reached an altitude of 335 meters. The electric propulsion system delivered a power output of over one megawatt during this flight.
According to the officials, the flight was conducted under a “Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category” (SAC-EC) issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, with the test covering taxiing, takeoff, climb, aerial maneuvers, and landing.
"With the first flight of the X1, Heart Aerospace demonstrated electric flight on a scale equivalent to that of a commercial aircraft," says Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, highlighting the main outcome of the test. "Electric commercial aircraft have the potential to fundamentally transform the profitability of airlines and ultimately reduce travel costs for passengers. This is at the core of our vision for widespread air travel, where electrification enables more affordable, frequent, and environmentally friendly flights to and from airports near home."
The X1 is a full-scale demonstrator, followed by the production aircraft ES-30 from Heart. The X1 is designed to test key technologies, aerodynamics, and flight performance for the future production model. The ES-30 is intended to be a hybrid-electric regional aircraft with 30 seats, rather than a purely electric one. According to Heart Aerospace, several customer commitments have already been received for this model — “from major airlines such as United Airlines, Air Canada, and JSX.” The ES-30 is scheduled to enter the market in 2031.
"Through the X1 program, Heart has developed the capability to design, build, test, operate, and continuously improve an electric commercial aircraft from scratch," says Ben Stabler, Chief Technology Officer of Heart Aerospace. "We are bringing this comprehensive expertise directly into the ES-30, our first production aircraft and the foundation for a broader technology platform for electric commercial aircraft."
Heart Aerospace was originally founded as a Swedish startup in Gothenburg, but in the spring of 2025 it moved its official headquarters and main office entirely to the United States—specifically to Los Angeles.