Urban Aeronautics X-Hawk

The X-Hawk is a flying car concept from Israeli designer Rafi Yoeli, developed by Metro Skyways Ltd., a subsidiary of Yoeli’s private firm Urban Aeronautics. The company reports that the vehicle has been tested at a hover height of 3 feet, with the potential to go higher. Both the X-Hawk and its smaller unmanned counterpart, the Tactical Robotics Cormorant, are intended for search and rescue missions where helicopters would be impractical or risky—such as pulling people from the upper floors of burning buildings or deploying police and soldiers in tight spaces like narrow streets and confined areas. The vehicle is expected to be about the size of a large van.

Background

Urban Aeronautics holds the patent for the design under the name Fancraft. By 2013, the company had registered 37 patents, with 12 more pending. Metro Skyways Ltd. leads development of the X-Hawk and holds exclusive licenses for its use in civil air-taxi, air-rescue, and medical evacuation markets. A separate subsidiary, Tactical Robotics Ltd., focuses on the Cormorant (formerly AirMule) and holds exclusive licenses for unmanned military and national security applications.

Development

In 2004, a proof-of-concept vehicle called CityHawk completed over 10 hours of hover testing near Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, which spurred development of the X-Hawk and the Mule (later renamed Cormorant). Shortly after, Urban Aeronautics published the X-Hawk LE concept. Work on the X-Hawk runs parallel to the primary effort on the Cormorant. The company plans to begin testing the CityHawk eVTOL in 2021.

Design

The X-Hawk is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft with no exposed rotors, using a tandem-fan, turbine-powered design. A fly-by-wire multi-channel flight control system with automatic stabilization helps pilots maintain level flight. Its ducted fans are meant to give it the speed and maneuverability of a helicopter.

The CityHawk prototype carries two people, stays aloft for nearly an hour, has a maximum ceiling of about 8,000 feet, and flies at 80 to 90 knots. It measures 2.2 by 4.7 meters. The X-Hawk LE is a more powerful law enforcement version, seating one pilot and three officers, with a flight time of over three hours plus reserve at 140 knots. The X-Hawk EMS is designed for emergency medical services.