DTA Aircraft has recorded 30 reservations for its JP1 hybrid-electric multicopter as the French developer works towards US flight testing and planned customer deliveries. The company expects to hand over its first 50 aircraft, designated the Launch Edition, in 2028. Reservations made after that allocation is filled would move into a delivery sequence beginning in 2029.
The reservations are not equivalent to completed aircraft sales or firm delivery commitments. DTA is also using the programme to develop a US commercial network, holding discussions with dealers, distributors and flight schools during NBAA-BACE. The company said follow-up meetings with potential partners have been arranged.
US testing awaits FAA approval
The JP1 prototype is being kept at Jet Aviation’s facility at KSDL by DTA Americas, the company’s US arm. It has accumulated more than 200 flight-test hours in France, but will remain on the ground in the United States until DTA obtains an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate.
There will be a change in the test regime when the aircraft flies in the US. DTA said a pilot will be aboard for the American campaign, whereas the earlier French flights were conducted remotely within visual line of sight. The Arizona programme is planned for 2027 and will provide the first recorded measurements of the JP1’s endurance and range.
“Endurance and range are what the U.S. campaign in Arizona will put on record in 2027.”
The company advertises endurance of two hours and a range of 156 nm with two people aboard. DTA said the French trials concentrated on handling, the autopilot and speed rather than distance, meaning the published performance figures still require assessment in the planned US test campaign.
Series-hybrid powertrain
The JP1 uses eight propellers arranged as coaxial pairs across four booms. Its series-hybrid system combines four battery packs with an 80-kilowatt single-rotor rotary engine that can burn jet fuel or sustainable aviation fuel as a range extender. DTA gives the aircraft a maximum take-off weight of 1,146 pounds and a fully fuelled payload of 396 pounds.
The aircraft is listed at 10 feet long, 10 feet wide and 5 feet 10 inches tall. DTA is adding telescoping booms that would reduce its width to 8 feet, allowing owners to tow the aircraft on a road trailer. The company also says the JP1 will have a whole-airframe ballistic parachute and a triple-redundant autopilot.
| Item | DTA’s stated programme detail |
|---|---|
| Reservations | 30 |
| Launch Edition | First 50 aircraft |
| Expected first deliveries | 2028 |
| US flight-test campaign | Arizona, planned for 2027 |
| Advertised endurance and range | Two hours and 156 nm with two people |
- The prototype has completed more than 200 flight-test hours in France.
- US operations require an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate.
- The aircraft’s advertised performance remains to be measured during the planned Arizona campaign.
DTA’s next steps therefore remain focused on regulatory permission and flight-test evidence rather than immediate commercial operation. The planned 2028 deliveries depend on the company progressing from a remotely tested prototype to a piloted US campaign, while its reservation programme and partner discussions continue in parallel.
