FusionFlight unveils jet-powered VTOL for personal use

What could be cooler than a jet-powered equivalent of a quadcopter drone? Well, how about a larger passenger-carrying version? That’s exactly what aviation firm FusionFlight has just revealed, in the form of its Axion aircraft.

We first heard about FusionFlight back in 2019, when the Texas-based company announced its prototype AB5 JetQuad jet-powered drone. Two years later, that model was superseded by the new-and-improved AB6.

Like its predecessor, the AB6 has a quadcopter-like VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) form factor, but it substitutes four vectored-thrust micro-turbine jet engines for the usual electric motors/propellers. Those engines are capable of running on diesel, kerosene or jet-A fuel.

According to the latest spec sheet, this setup gives the AB6 a claimed top forward speed of 250 mph (402 km/h). When maintaining that velocity, the aircraft reportedly offers a flight time of 15 minutes per fill of its 5-gallon (19-liter) fuel tank.

The use of jet engines instead of electric motors not only provides faster acceleration and cruising speeds, it also lets the aircraft refuel in just a few minutes, maintain its usual range even in cold temperatures, keep flying in icy or snowy conditions, and maneuver in tight quarters without worry of propeller-strikes.

Some of the possible uses for the drone include emergency medical supply delivery and long-range surveillance … but what if you actually want to ride in the thing? Well, that’s where the Axion comes in.

Containing the engines within the Axion's body is said to help muffle their noise, although they still reportedly produce about 105 decibels — Containing the engines within the Axion’s body is said to help muffle their noise, although they still reportedly produce about 105 decibels

Currently in functional prototype form, the single-passenger aircraft is about the same size as a compact car; it tips the scales at 330 lb (150 kg) with a full fill of diesel, kerosene or jet-A; it’s capable of carrying passenger/cargo loads of up to 176 lb (80 kg); and it sports not four but eight micro-turbine jet engines with thrust-vectoring nozzles.

Those engines deliver a combined thrust of 809 lb ft (1,097 Nm), allowing the Axion to take off and land vertically, hover on the spot, and – hopefully – travel at a maximum forward speed of up to 225 mph (362 km/h). And if one engine fails, the aircraft can still “limp” to a landing spot using the remaining seven.

Its estimated range still sits at 15 minutes at top speed, thanks to two cross-linked 15-gallon (57-L) fuel tanks. FusionFlight CEO/Founder Alex Taits tells us that ground testing has already begun, and that the first test flights should take place by the end of this year.

At the start of take-offs and the very end of landings, the nozzles are angled horizontally to avoid burning the ground and minimize flying debris

The pilot can manually control the Axion via two computer-aided fly-by-wire joysticks, or they can simply select their destination on its touchscreen then let the aircraft fly itself autonomously. In fact, in autonomous or remote-control mode, the vehicle can fly without an onboard pilot, instead carrying cargo such as emergency medevac (medical evacuation) patients or inanimate objects like crates.

Plans call for the Axion to be built to order, with prices starting at US$289,995. Taits gives us a walk-around tour of the current prototype, in the video below.

If that price is a bit much for you, and you don’t really need something you can sit in, the AB6 JetQuad goes for a mere $69,995.