Vertical Aerospace Ltd (NYSE:EVTL) is preparing what may be the most disruptive pivot in next-generation aviation: hybrid electric flight designed to replace the helicopter segment with a longer-range, higher-payload, lower-noise aircraft capable of missions battery-only eVTOLs can't reach.
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In an exclusive email interview with Benzinga, CEO Stuart Simpson describes 2026 as the breakout year, when "for the first time, our hybrid electric aircraft" will take to the skies, following a retrofit that adds a gas turbine to the final prototype.
The move creates what Simpson calls "two assets — two capabilities in the skies in 2026," positioning Vertical not just as another urban air mobility player but as a challenger to defense, logistics, medical, and mission-critical transportation.
Read Also: EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Promises The ‘Safest’ eVTOL Ever — Can The Grand Reveal Deliver?
Hybrids To Disrupt The Helicopter Era
Hybrid shifts the economics. It unlocks longer routes, heavier loads, and uncrewed missions — the workhorse territory that helicopters dominate today. In Simpson's telling, the shift is inevitable because "demand for long-range, high-payload, quiet aircraft is only growing," and the legacy helicopter era is ripe for disruption.
Behind that ambition is a commercial roadmap more aggressive than many expected. By 2035, Vertical sees hybrid contributing 16% of more than $10 billion in projected revenues, with battery electric at 59% and battery replacements at 25%. The vision is to scale across multiple aviation verticals, not novelty routes between rooftop pads.
Next 18 Months Remain Critical
But the technical and financial hurdles remain high. Certification costs will require an additional $700 million through 2028, and profitability isn't expected until 2029 or later. Markets that have cheered prototypes before will now want execution, not ambition.
If Vertical delivers hybrid flight on schedule, it could fundamentally reshape the power rankings of advanced aviation. If not, the industry will chalk it up as another expensive dream.
The next 18 months may be the clearest test yet — whether hybrid flight becomes the helicopter killer, or remains a headline-friendly hypothesis.
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