Ampaire

Ampaire Inc. is a California-based aerospace company developing hybrid-electric propulsion for regional aircraft. Its core product line centers on the AmpDrive powertrain platform and the AMP-H570, an integrated-parallel hybrid-electric power system. Rather than designing new airframes, Ampaire replaces the propulsion system on aircraft that are already certified and in service, most prominently through the Eco Caravan, a hybrid-electric retrofit of the Cessna Grand Caravan that replaces the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine.

The company's vehicle portfolio spans the Electric EEL testbed aircraft, which first flew as a hybrid-electric test platform in 2019; the Eco Caravan; the Eco Otter and Eco Otter SX regional airliner concepts; and the Tailwind, a clean-sheet design. Ampaire frames its roadmap in three stages — flying and refining today with testbeds, partnering with airframe manufacturers to replace conventional engines tomorrow, and eventually delivering clean-sheet aircraft optimized for electric power. The company states its technology can lower fuel consumption by up to 90%, maintenance by 50% and noise by 60%, and reports flight-test results showing the Eco Caravan burning 54% to 57% less fuel than the engine it replaces, with roughly 50% savings in cruise and up to 70% when battery power handles takeoff.

Ampaire's near-term regulatory path runs through Part 33 engine certification, targeted for late 2027, followed by a Part 23 supplemental type certificate for the Eco Caravan. It is also developing hybrid-electric auxiliary power units with International Airlines Group to reduce fuel burn while aircraft are on the ground.

Founding story

Kevin Noertker and Cory Combs founded Ampaire in 2016 to conduct fundamental R&D on electric aircraft. Given the incremental pace of battery energy-storage improvement, the two concluded that hybrid-electric propulsion was a necessary stepping stone to fully electric power systems and a nearer-term, market-driven means of reducing aviation emissions. Both founders previously worked at Northrop Grumman — Noertker as a senior systems engineer on satellite programs and Combs as an R&D engineer on X-plane advanced aircraft programs — and Noertker also served as a research fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They subsequently recruited technical leaders from the aerospace and automotive industries, including CTO Ed Lovelace (previously XL Fleet and Aurora Flight Sciences), SVP of Engineering Pete Savagian (previously General Motors electrified propulsion) and SVP of Global Partnerships Susan Ying (previously NASA, Boeing and COMAC).

Business model

Ampaire electrifies existing, already-certified aircraft types by replacing their propulsion systems with its hybrid-electric powertrain, pursuing supplemental type certification rather than clean-sheet aircraft certification. It sells and supports these propulsion upgrades to airlines, aircraft manufacturers and other operators, and also offers advisory work and partner projects. Revenue-generating scale is expected to follow engine and aircraft certification, with expansion into early manufacturing and aftermarket support.

Propulsion-system retrofits and upgrades for existing aircraft sold to airlines, OEMs and operators, with planned aftermarket support; the company has also reported an order for up to 250 electric aircraft conversions.

Traction

The company reports more than 38,000 hybrid-electric test flight miles across its fleet with a 100% safety record (earlier company statements cited over 30,000 miles and, in 2024-era coverage, over 17,500 and over 25,000 miles). Milestones include the 2019 Electric EEL first flight, a 1,135-statute-mile Los Angeles to Oshkosh hybrid-electric flight, the 2022 maiden flight of the Eco Caravan, an order for up to 250 electric aircraft conversions, and 2026 regional operations in Utah spanning 1,340 miles of routes under the FAA eIPP program. Total disclosed funding stands at $68 million.

Latest developments

In August 2026 Ampaire closed a $19 million Series B led by DiamondStream Partners, bringing total funding to $68 million, with participation from Alaska Star Ventures and IAGi Ventures. Proceeds are earmarked for Part 33 engine certification targeted for late 2027, a subsequent Part 23 supplemental type certificate for the Eco Caravan, engineering team expansion, supplier readiness, early manufacturing and aftermarket support. Also in August 2026 the company launched the uFLY eIPP program in Utah, flying regional hybrid-electric operations across 1,340 miles of cargo, passenger and community air service routes. Earlier, in January 2026, Hawaiian Airlines made a strategic investment. Ampaire is developing hybrid-electric auxiliary power units with IAG and has received an FAA G-1 issue paper for its hybrid propulsion system.