Lithuanian start-up Airvolve is developing what it believes will be a cost-effective alternative to both existing helicopters and larger uncrewed aircraft in military applications including logistics and casualty evacuation. This year, the company aims to build a full-scale working prototype for a hybrid-electric aircraft to demonstrate to partners and prospective operators from several European countries including Ukraine, Greece and Poland, as well as Lithuania’s armed forces.

According to co-founder and CEO Donatas Gendvilas, emergencies such as the evacuation of Ukrainian troops from the besieged city of Mariupol and fires threatening communities around the Mediterranean Sea, have prompted a rethink around the type of aircraft best suited to respond. He told AIN that some of the agencies Airvolve has been in discussions with “have realised that helicopters are history now,” in part because they can be destroyed by shoulder-launched missiles at low cost.

Airvolve’s mission is to develop a vehicle that will be more stable than existing large drones, and be as capable as a helicopter but with far lower operating costs. The company is aiming to deliver a vehicle that is 10 times less expensive to operate than existing rotorcraft, with a payload of 200 kilograms (440 pounds), cargo volume of five cubic meters (177 cubic feet), and range of 100 kilometers (54 nm).

“The only solution [for tactical military missions] is to reinvent the helicopter, and military [officials] have told us they cannot afford new infrastructure, such as electrical chargers, and dedicated pilot training, so what we offer must use legacy infrastructure,” Gendvilas said.

The Airvolve vehicle, which is called Airlift, is intended for optionally-piloted operations. While it should be able to fly and navigate autonomously, the company is factoring in use cases for a human on board who can have what Gendvilas described as "minimal control" that would cover simple course adjustments.

Horizontal Axis Rotors Are the Secret Sauce

The aircraft’s key differentiator in terms of architecture are a pair of horizontal axis rotors, described by Gendvilas as “helicopter rotors that can close up like a large umbrella.” These turn around a horizontal axis rather than a vertical axis and, according to Airvolve, were partly inspired by technology considered by Boeing in the 1930s that Gendvilas said “got parked for 80 years or so because material science was not advanced enough.”

Airvolve’s propulsion concept is based on electric motors directly driving the rotors with range being extended by power from a conventional aircraft engine. Its objective is to avoid having to use heavy battery packs and instead just use some smaller batteries for emergency backup.

As things stand, the company is likely to use an already certified light aircraft engine. “Another solution could be a new light turbine but those currently available start from 200 to 300 kilowatts and we only need 100 kilowatts of power,” Gendvilas explained. “So that [approach] is parked until someone can build us what we need at the right price.”

Airvolve’s team, now consisting of eight employees, has been researching options for five years, backed by around €2 million ($2.1 million) in European Union grants that has allowed it to produce a pair of scaled demonstrator models to technology readiness level 5 standards. It recently closed an early funding round that raised €825,000 to support further development work this year, with plans for a further seed funding round in early 2026.

According to Gendvilas, the company’s biggest challenge is accommodating the very varied use cases being proposed by the prospective customers it is engaging with. “We might need to look at factors such as ship-to-shore operations, but we will start with cargo because that is the common denominator,” he said, adding that the vehicle will be compatible with standard NATO loading systems.

Gendvilas has past experience raising funds for technology research and development that has included projects with Airbus, Boeing and Thales. Airvolve’s chief technology officer, Tomas Narbuntas, has previously worked with NASA’s urban air mobility unit and has experience designing satellites.