Sirius Aviation, a Swiss startup led by Ukraine-born entrepreneur Alexey Popov, unveiled its Sirius Jet hydrogen-powered hybrid eVTOL concept on January 17, 2024. 

The Sirius Jet will be available in two versions, the Sirius Business Jet, capable of carrying three people over distances of up to 1,850km (1,150 miles) and the Sirius Millenium Jet, carrying up to five over 1,050km (650 miles). 

What sets this eVTOL concept apart from other players in the increasingly crowded eVTOL space is its propulsion technology. Sirius Aviation has eschewed the batteries used by most of its peers and opted for a hydrogen-electric powertrain instead. 

“Started by the most essential” (powertrain) and adding other parts from here. We are using off-the-shelf tech for all the rest,” Popov told AeroTime ahead of the aircraft presentation. 

Popov, whose family controls Fed JSC, one of main aerospace industries in Ukraine, also expressed confidence that Sirius Aviation will be able to get its eVTOL aircraft certified within a period of 18 months. 

Another rather unique feature of the Sirius Jet is a ballistic recovery system, which is essentially a parachute that will activate in case of aircraft malfunction and ensure that the whole aircraft and its occupants have a soft landing. This is a feature that some light aircraft, such as the Cirrus, have on board but it is far from standard in the advanced air mobility space.  

Although domiciled in Switzerland and based at Swiss Aeropole, the aerospace industry cluster of Payerne in the Swiss Canton de Vaud, Sirius Aviation relies on the design and manufacturing expertise of the family business to accelerate the development of its eVTOL project. 

Sirius Aviation has also lined up a number of partners for this project, such as Italian aerospace giant Leonardo, that will collaborate in the production of the first batch of aerostructures. 

Popov said Sirius Aviation has so far been financed by its founders’ own funds, but that it is now open to outside investors.