Vertical Aerospace Ltd.

Prototype Flights Tests

In September 2022, following a series of rigorous ground-based tests, including lift, vibration and propeller thrust, our first full-scale prototype started flight tests. By August 2023, operating under CAA approvals, this prototype had successfully completed a thrustborne flight test campaign (including lifting, hovering, flying and landing vertically, by the thrust of the aircraft’s propulsion system). The flight tests included numerous hovers, both tethered (with a pilot) and untethered, expanding the low-speed flight envelope under remotely piloted conditions and powered by our proprietary battery systems.

On August 9, 2023, following the completion of our remote thrustborne flight test campaign, we conducted further uncrewed flight tests of the prototype aircraft under stress scenarios before its planned retirement, to understand how the aircraft would perform outside of its expected operating conditions. During one of these further flight tests, an unexpected fault occurred, causing the aircraft to enter into a stable descent before being damaged on impact with the ground. We completed a swift and thorough investigation and submitted a report to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). Both the AAIB’s and our reports concluded that the primary cause of the accident was due to an adhesive bond failure of a propeller blade. We had already redesigned the early generation propeller prior to the accident and are no longer using the same supplier.

In July 2024, we completed the build of our second more advanced full-scale prototype. This prototype incorporates additional technology from our partners that we expect to implement into our certification aircraft. The aircraft has been designed and built in collaboration with our global aerospace partners, including Honeywell and Syensqo, and features our next generation propellers and proprietary battery technology, designed and manufactured at our Vertical Energy Centre.

The CAA issued a Permit to Fly in July 2024 following a rigorous evaluation of the engineering, design, test data and aircraft, and we began our piloted flight test campaign, completing our first tethered piloted flight in July 2024. In September 2024, the second full-scale prototype completed Phase 1 of its piloted flight test program at the Vertical Flight Test Centre and in November 2024, it achieved piloted, untethered vertical take-off and landing for the first time as Phase 2 of its flight test program began. Through January 2025, piloted untethered flight tests continued with Vertical becoming what we believe is only the second company in the world to achieve piloted thrustborne flight maneuvers with a full-scale vectored thrust eVTOL aircraft. These tests demonstrated the prototype aircraft’s ability to hover and progress to piloted, low-speed maneuvers using lift generated by the propellers. We announced the conclusion of Phase 2 in February 2025, with the prototype completing over thirty piloted test flights in this phase, cumulatively, including successful hover and low speed flight maneuvers, as well as executing handling and performance procedures including roll, yaw, and spot-turns.

In May 2025, we commenced Phase 3 of our flight test program, completing what we understand to be the first-ever wingborne flight of a winged electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft in European open airspace, where the aircraft took-off, flew and landed like a conventional aircraft, with lift generated by the wing. On July 16, 2025, following Flight Conditions and Permit to Fly approvals from the CAA, our prototype flew from our Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station which is used by the United States Airforce. In September 2025, we announced the conclusion of Phase 3 wingborne testing, with the aircraft performing as modeled in the simulator, validating both the design and ease of handling.

The final Phase 4 flight phase is piloted transition flight, which tests the aircrafts’ ability to shift seamlessly between vertical lift (“helicopter mode”) and wingborne flight (“airplane mode”), all in a single continuous flight without the need for a runway, and which will be the operating mode used in passenger service. We successfully achieved this Phase 4 two-way piloted transition flight in April 2026 under regulatory oversight. On July 20, 2026, following an expanded Permit to Fly from the CAA, we achieved the first public electric vertical take-off and landing flight at Farnborough International Airshow, completing a transition flight with our full-scale prototype by moving from vertical take-off to wingborne cruise and back to vertical landing.

We have completed the assembly of our third full-scale prototype, identical to the second, which began its piloted flight test campaign in June 2026, achieving piloted transition flight in August 2026, and will accelerate the flight test program and demonstration capability. By doubling our current flight test capacity to two prototypes, we can significantly accelerate the rate at which we gain knowledge and experience of all aspects of the aircraft and its performance and apply it to optimize the design and development of Valo.

Prototype flight tests are a critical factor affecting the operating results of the Company. These tests provide essential data and insights that inform the design, safety, and performance of our aircraft. Successful flight tests validate our technological advancements and regulatory compliance, which are crucial for progressing towards certification and commercialization. Conversely, any material setbacks or delays in the flight test program can impact our timelines, costs, and investor confidence.