# Air Force Awards Electra $4.7M Test Contract

The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Electra Defense a **$4.7 million contract on November 9, 2026**, to conduct ground and flight tests of its nine-passenger EL9 hybrid-electric Ultra-STOL aircraft. Testing will assess propulsion and aircraft performance, including battery-only acoustic flights, and produce data on potential use for military logistics from short or limited-runway locations, Agile Combat Employment, and low-signature special operations missions. Results may inform future Air Force technology development and acquisition decisions; the award does not itself establish a production procurement.

- The evaluation covers hybrid-electric propulsion, short-runway performance, and low-noise battery-only operations—areas relevant to suppliers of aircraft systems, testing, modeling and simulation, and distributed logistics capabilities.
- Contractors can use the stated test areas to assess where their capabilities may support follow-on evaluations or future Air Force requirements.
- The work provides an opportunity to track how the Air Force evaluates hybrid-electric aircraft for operational use before any potential future acquisition.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Transportation
**Published:** November 10, 2026

### Government Entities
- Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
- United States Air Force (USAF)

### Vendors
- Electra Defense (awardee)

### Sources
- [The Air Force awarded Electra $4.7 million to test hybrid-electric propulsion. Ground and flight tests will help assess whether aircraft like Electra’s EL9 can support military logistics with shorter runways.

https://t.co/7CgAXOkbAH

Follow: @TechNatNews](https://x.com/TechNatNews/status/2119928016658891256) - twitter-defense
- [.@usairforce Awards @ElectraAero $4.7 Million Contract for Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Testing https://t.co/Ii2ExW9Ghm](https://x.com/FLYJETSFLYING/status/2119839996982989094) - twitter-defense
- [AFRL awarded Electra Defense a $4.7 million contract to ground and flight test the EL9's hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems, including battery-only acoustic flight tests. #ElectricAviation #USAF

https://t.co/w6My3qlFj9](https://x.com/AirProNews/status/2120279280869412925) - twitter-defense