Kaman Corporation has announced that its subsidiary, Kaman Aerospace Group, Inc., has been selected by Transcend Air Corporation to build the Vy 400 high-speed vertical takeoff and landing (HSVTOL) aircraft.

The Vy 400 design is optimized to reduce the current time and cost barriers for regional city-to-city travel. The vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of the Vy 400 aircraft gives Transcend Air access to demand-rich centers of major cities.

The high-speed Vy 400 travels over 400 miles per hour, making the journey from Manhattan to Boston in 36 minutes. Gregory Bruell, co-founder and CEO of Transcend Air said, “Because of the Vy’s high speed, we can complete many more passenger trips per aircraft. The combination of that with VTOL is key to our revolutionary economics, and Kaman will be key to us scaling up production to meet the huge demand that our mass market fares will drive.”

Russ Bartlett, Kaman’s senior vice president and chief operating officer noted, “Viewed from our unique rotorcraft market experience as both a helicopter manufacturer and a major supplier to other aerospace manufacturers, the Vy 400’s advantages in both civil and military applications are compelling.” Bartlett continued, “Transcend Air has over 250 years of collective VTOL experience informing both the aircraft design and their go-to-market strategy. Kaman Aerospace Group has components and subsystems on nearly every rotorcraft flying today and we look forward to the opportunity to be part of this innovative aircraft with Kaman’s singular blend of historical achievements and cutting-edge capabilities.”

Peter Schmidt, co-founder and COO of Transcend Air, added, “The time is now for this aircraft. We are reaping the benefits of 50 years of advancements in technology since the pioneering of tilt-wing designs in the 1960s; including computerized fly-by-wire flight control, aero-acoustics, electric control-surface actuation, the Ballistic Recovery Systems whole-airframe parachute, low- and no-carbon sustainable aviation and with the addition of Kaman’s collaboration to deliver at scale. On the day it is certified, the Vy 400 will simultaneously become the world’s fastest helicopter and the world’s fastest single-engine civil turboprop – with Kaman structures, subsystems, and assembly making it possible.”

This press release was prepared and distributed by Kaman Corporation.