FARNBOROUGH — American electric aircraft-maker BETA Technologies this week unveiled a militarized, unmanned version of its all-electric, vertical takeoff and landing A250, modified with a new hybrid-electric powertrain that company executives say can meet the demanding needs of defense missions.
Joined by industry heavyweights GE Aerospace for propulsion and Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky for autonomy, BETA expects the new MV250 aircraft can be ready for military exercises next year and enter production as soon as 2028, according to a company factsheet.
“The first principle physics of our airplane is rooted in simplicity. If we keep it light, low drag, high energy content on the airplane and extremely high propulsive efficiency, it achieves … high speed, long range, [and] carr[ies] a lot of payload,” BETA CEO Kyle Clark said in a briefing with reporters at the Farnborough Airshow here on Tuesday. “That’s what the customer cares about.”
BETA is pitching the aircraft for a wide range of missions spanning logistics, reconnaissance and strike. The company says it has a range of 1,300 nautical miles (nearly 1,500 miles) when configured for missions like reconnaissance, and carry up to 2,000 pounds of payload. BETA’s Rob Dickerson, who works in government and military business development for the company, pegged its price tag at “less than $10 million,” where economies of scale could offer room for improvement.
While the company’s electric A250 is targeted for civil use cases, the integration of hybrid-electric propulsion reflects a needed performance boost for military missions, where all-electric aircraft have at times struggled to meet military goals. According to Clark, the hybrid-electric powertrain offers roughly eight times greater range.
“This was not a project for technology’s sake,” Amy Gowder, the head of GE Aerospace’s defense and systems division, said. The aircraft’s hybrid-electric powertrain is built around GE’s CT7 turbine engine. The military variant of the CT7, called the T700, is used on military aircraft like the AH-64 Apache.
“It is the simplicity of the design and reliable systems, but in the right application and at the right cost, is really why we were drawn to this project,” she said.
Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky, said the company’s autonomy stack called MATRIX — used on other platforms like a pilotless Black Hawk helicopter — when paired with the MV250 “is going to put in the hands of the soldiers the tools they need” for military missions. “We, from the entire Sikorsky family, are proud to work with BETA and GE to deliver a new capability,” he said.
BETA is targeting the Pentagon as a key customer, including the Army, Air Force and Marines, according to Clark. But also obvious from its presence at an international airshow, the firm is pitching the aircraft to foreign buyers as well.
BETA’s foray into the military market mirrors moves by other industry players in the advanced air mobility sector. On Monday, Anduril revealed a new partnership with Archer Aviation for a tiltrotor unmanned wingman called Thunder, which the team envisions flying alongside rotorcraft like the Apache and future MV-75 Cheyenne II.
PHOTOS: Farnborough 2026
Gallery
