• +1-703-684-6777
  • See footer

Skyfly Technologies Longbow (concept design)

Longbow long-range heavy-lift air cargo, special mission or passenger hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft (concept design)

(Image credit: Skyfly Technologies)

Longbow (concept design)
Skyfly Technologies Ltd
Thorpe Mandeville, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom
www.skyfly.aero

Founded in 2019, Skfly Technologies Ltd designs, manufacturers and sells electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) passenger and hybrid-electric VTOL passenger aircraft. Skyfly Technologies' CEO is Michael Thompson and the company is based in Thorpe Mandeville, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom. The company foresees selling its initial aircraft for personal air transportation and in the future, expects their air cargo aircraft to be used by government and defense use. The company has made and flown subscale prototypes, validating the technical aspects of their aircraft design.

In October 2026, Skyfly Technologies closed a $10 million seed round led by HICO Investment Group with Archangel to take the Axe aircraft from a flying prototype to certified production aircraft. The funding completes the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) light-sport aircraft certification of the Axe under the new FAA Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rules ahead of first customer deliveries expected in 2027. This certification will also accelerate the certification of the hybrid-propulsion system for the autonomous air cargo Longbow aircraft which the company plans to sell to government and defense customers.

Longbow crewed or uncrewed air cargo, special mission or passenger long-range heavy-lift hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft (concept design)
The Longbow is a crewed or uncrewed  air cargo, mission specific or passenger long-range heavy-lift  hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft for military, government or civilian use. A list of mission specific capabilities of the aircraft are listed below.

The cruise speed of the aircraft is expected to be 161 km/h (100 mph) and have a predicted range of 644+ km (400+ miles). The aircraft has four fixed-pitched propellers, eight electric motors and is powered by a hybrid-electric power source. The empty weight of the aircraft is projected at 550 kg (1,213 lb), with a forecasted maximum payload weight of 200 kg (441 lb) and has a planned maximum takeoff weight of 750 kg (1,654 lb). The aircraft has tandem wings, one conventional tail and the fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite to give the aircraft a high strength to low weight ratio. The aircraft has fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear.

Mission capabilities of the Longbow

  • Heavy-lift internal air cargo 
  • Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) mission equipment
  • Electronic Warfare & SIGINT payloads used for spectrum monitoring and threat detection technologies
  • Deep strike and loiter missions
  • Supports multi-aircraft swarming
  • Long-range airborne communications relay for extended radio frequency and data connectivity
  • Ship-to-shore logistics and reconnaissance from compact maritime platforms

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Long-range heavy-lift air cargo, special mission or passenger hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft (concept design)
  • Piloting: Crewed or uncrewed piloting
  • Capacity: Air cargo, special mission equipment, or 1 to 2 passengers. There could be a combination of all of these.
  • Cruise speed: 161 km/h (100 mph)
  • Range: 644+ km (400+ miles)
  • Empty weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
  • Maximum payload weight: 200 kg (441 lb)
  • Maximum takeoff weight: 750 kg (1,654 lb)
  • Propellers: 4 fixed-pitched propellers
  • Electric motors: 8 electric motors
  • Power source: Hybrid-electric power source
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Window: Canopy over cockpit
  • Wings: Tandem wings
  • Tail: 1 conventional tail
  • Landing gear: Fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. The aircraft has no moving surfaces or tilting parts when transitioning from vertical to forward flight and the reverse which increases safety by reducing complexity.

Related Aircraft:

Company Insights:

Resources:

  Forum 83, The Future of Vertical Flight, May 11-13, 2027, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

  The World eVTOL Aircraft Directory with 1,200+ aircraft cataloged!

About us

Administered by The Vertical Flight Society
 This information on this website is provided for public use. However, you may not copy entire sections of this website and post them on your own website — because that's plagiarism!

For information on joining VFS, add additional eVTOL aircraft ≥300 lb (136 kg) or to report an error, please contact us through VFS headquarters.

Our Contacts

2700 Prosperity Ave, Suite 275
Fairfax, Virginia, USA - 22031
Phone: +1-703-684-6777
Email: See footer

Latest Tweets

2026 © The Vertical Flight Society. The Electric VTOL News™, eVTOL.news™ and eVTOL News™ are trademarks of The Vertical Flight Society.

Powered by: Electric VTOL News™