XTI Aircraft Company, which has been working since 2012 to develop a ducted-fan VTOL design, said on Monday they will work with Bye Aerospace to develop a hybrid-electric prototype of their TriFan aircraft. The new propulsion system will "significantly reduce" the weight and cost of producing the aircraft, according to TriFan CEO Robert LaBelle. Because of those savings, LaBelle said, "our first prototype will be a full-size TriFan 600 instead of the 65-percent sub-scale version" that was previously planned. The TriFan aircraft will have seats for six, the companies said, and will cruise at 260 knots for 1,042 nautical miles. Both companies are based at Centennial Airport, in Colorado. They did not announce a timeline for the project.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/xti-bye-join-forces-on-vtol-project