PT Vela Prima Nusantara (Vela Aero) has carried out the first\nunveiling of a full-scale physical prototype of the Alpha aircraft at\nHeli Expo Asia (HEXIA) 2026, held at Cengkareng Heliport, Jakarta. The\nlaunch cements Indonesia\u2019s and Vela Aero\u2019s position as a pioneer\nOriginal Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)\nsector, leading the way in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
The unveiling of the full-scale physical prototype marks an important\ntransition for the Vela Alpha from the conceptual design phase towards\nan official flight test campaign and airworthiness certification. The\nVela Alpha is being developed to address the challenges of geographical\nconnectivity across more than 17,000 islands, reduce urban land\ncongestion, and deliver zero-emission air transport.<\/p>\n
The Alpha aircraft is built not merely as a means of transporting\ngoods or people, but as a solution for more flexible, affordable and\nsafe everyday mobility.<\/p>\n
Strong commercial traction at both regional and international levels\naccompanies the successful execution of this physical manufacturing. To\ndate, Vela Aero has secured an accumulated 160 Letters of Intent (LOI)\nfor the procurement of Vela Alpha fleets from domestic and international\ncustomers.<\/p>\n
This figure excludes various strategic Memoranda of Understanding\n(MoU) with industry stakeholders that do not explicitly specify fleet\nnumbers, as well as cooperation in developing supporting facilities for\nAAM operations.<\/p>\n
One of the key commercial agreements signed alongside HEXIA 2026 is\nan MoU with leading aviation operator Whitesky Aviation regarding plans\nto procure 50 Vela Alpha units to support airport feeder routes, urban\nair taxis, high-yield tourism, and industrial estate logistics.<\/p>\n
To ensure operational readiness towards the Entry Into Service (EIS)\ntarget in early 2029, Vela Aero announced two crucial regulatory and\ntesting milestones targeted for the end of 2026.<\/p>\n
First, the maiden flight (Live Demo Flight) is planned for the fourth\nquarter of 2026 in front of the public, regulators, partners and\npotential investors.<\/p>\n
Second, the target of obtaining a Design Organization Approval (DOA)\nClass D licence from the Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft\nOperations (DKPPU) at the Ministry of Transportation by the end of 2026.\nThis licence provides institutional legality for Vela Aero in designing\nand manufacturing nationally certified aircraft.<\/p>\n
After achieving the end-2026 milestones, Vela Aero will focus the\n2027-2028 period on transitioning into the Alpha aircraft certification\nphase, converting LOIs into firm purchase orders, and integrating the\nvertiport, MRO and leasing company ecosystem, before obtaining full Type\nCertification (TC) by the end of 2028.<\/p>\n
\u2018The physical presence of the full-scale Vela Alpha prototype at\nCengkareng Heliport today is tangible proof of our domestic engineering\nand manufacturing capabilities,\u2019 said the executive team of PT Vela\nPrima Nusantara, quoted on Wednesday (25\/8\/2026).<\/p>\n
\u2018We are not merely building an aircraft, but orchestrating an\nintegrated AAM ecosystem to bring Indonesia to the forefront of aviation\ninnovation and aerospace technology IP ownership in Southeast Asia,\u2019\nthey added.<\/p>\n
The Vela Alpha uses a Lift-and-Cruise configuration driven by a\nDistributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) system based on nine electric\nmotors. This configuration allows the aircraft to take off and land\nvertically before transitioning to efficient cruise mode using its\nwings.<\/p>\n
Designed with a high level of system redundancy, the aircraft retains\nthe ability to fly safely even if one of the electric motors fails. In\naddition to the pure electric variant for urban routes, Vela Aero is\nalso developing a hybrid-electric (hVTOL) variant for Regional Air\nMobility missions with longer range.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/vela-prima-nusantara-unveils-full-scale-alpha-prototype-aircraft-1787644309", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }