AMSL Aero

AMSL Aero, founded in June 2017 by the husband-and-wife team of Andrew Moore and Siobhan Lyndon, is an Australian aerospace company focused on developing a zero-emissions electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The company's name is derived from the founders' initials (Andrew Moore and Siobhan Lyndon) and also references the aviation term 'Above Mean Sea Level'. Andrew Moore, the company's Chief Engineering Officer, is an aeronautical engineer with over two decades of experience in aircraft design, including time in the Royal Australian Navy and at Yamaha Motor Australia. Siobhan Lyndon, the Chief Operating Officer, brings extensive experience from the technology and telecommunications sectors, including an 11-year tenure at Google. In late 2023, Max York, former CEO of GE Australia, was appointed CEO to lead the company's commercialization phase.

The company's flagship product is the 'Vertiia', an eVTOL aircraft designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly efficiently like a plane. The design, inspired by Lawrence Hargrave's box kite, features a unique V-tail and eight propellers on tilting wings. Vertiia is being developed with two power sources: a battery-electric version with a range of 250 km and a hydrogen-electric version with a projected range of up to 1,000 km. This dual-propulsion strategy allows the aircraft to target a variety of missions. The aircraft is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers or a payload of 500 kg, cruising at a speed of 300 km/h. A key safety feature is its Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), which ensures the aircraft can land safely even if one or more of its eight motors fail.

AMSL Aero's business model targets multiple sectors, including aeromedical services, emergency response, cargo and logistics, and regional air mobility. The company has secured a partnership with aeromedical operator Careflight and has received its first civil order from Aviation Logistics for up to 20 Vertiia aircraft, with deliveries anticipated to begin in 2027. The company has also received contracts from the Australian Department of Defence. Significant milestones include receiving an experimental airworthiness certificate, completing the first tethered hover flights in February 2023, and achieving the first untethered 'free' flights in November 2024. The company has raised over A$50 million from private investors like IP Group Australia, St Baker Energy Innovation Fund, TelstraSuper, and Hostplus, as well as from government grants, including A$5.4 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for its hydrogen-powered model.

Keywords: AMSL Aero, Vertiia, eVTOL, electric aircraft, hydrogen-powered aircraft, vertical take-off and landing, advanced air mobility, sustainable aviation, aeromedical transport, emergency services aircraft, cargo drone, regional air mobility, Andrew Moore, Siobhan Lyndon, Australian aerospace, zero-emissions aviation, Distributed Electric Propulsion, box-wing design, long-range eVTOL, CASA certification