Making its public debut at the 2025 Paris Air Show, held in Le Bourget from 16 to 22 June, was the Nuuva V300: a long-range, large-capacity hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) produced by Textron company Pipistrel.
Designed to complete long-range missions with lower fuel consumption and maintenance costs, the Nuuva V300 can take off and land vertically using eight independent battery-powered Pipistrel E-811 electric engines and is powered in level flight by an internal combustion engine driving a pusher propeller.
The aircraft is engineered to load cargo through the nose of the fuselage, simplifying the process for operators and allowing for multiple payload configurations. Built to offer a cargo volume of 3 m3, it can hold up to three cargo pallets or be loaded with loose cargo and is designed to carry a 600 lb (272 kg) payload over a range of up to 300 nautical miles (556 km) during a typical mission. Longer-range missions out to 600 nautical miles (1,111 km) and beyond can be achieved by trading cargo payload for additional fuel.
After lift-off the Nuuva V300 flies fully autonomously, controlled by a triple-redundant, fly-by-wire flight control system provided by Honeywell.
The first Nuuva V300 air vehicle, which made its maiden flight on 31 January 2025, will be joined by a second air vehicle later in 2025, allowing Pipistrel to further enhance the aircraft’s performance.
