Embraer and BAE Systems have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to potentially form a joint venture to develop a defense variant of Eve’s electric flying taxi.
The news comes six months after both companies disclosed initial plans to explore whether Eve’s eVTOL would be suitable as a potential defense variant.
“Teams from BAE Systems and Embraer will continue working together to explore how the aircraft, designed for the urban mobility market, can provide cost-effective, sustainable, and adaptable capability as a defense variant,” said Jackson Schneider, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security.
The companies said a defense variant could be used in humanitarian and disaster relief situations.
In a separate announcement, both companies signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the potential order of up to 150 electric flying taxis, bringing Eve’s current order book to 1,910 electric flying taxis.
Andre Stein, Co-CEO of Eve, added: “This collaboration also indicates that the defense market can be more sustainable and at the same time allows Eve to remain focused on exploring the Urban Air Mobility market.”