Lilium completes early flight testing, builds first manufacturing facility

Lilium, the Munich-based startup developing a revolutionary on-demand air mobility service, has released new footage of its all-electric Lilium Jet as it has completed its first phase of flight testing, a milestone it has reached less than six months since starting its flight test campaign.

The Lilium Jet, the first five-seater, all-electric, vertical take-off and landing jet, was revealed in May 2019 and since then has been put through its paces at an airfield in southern Germany. The emissions-free aircraft, which will be able to complete journeys of up to 300 km in one hour on a single charge, has now been flown at speeds exceeding 100 km/h, in increasingly complex maneuvers.

The new footage reveals, for the first time, the aircraft transitioning from vertical flight to level flight. This signature maneuver, first completed just weeks after the aircraft’s maiden flight, is one of aerospace’s greatest challenges and is what gives the Lilium Jet its significant range advantage, with its two sets of wings contributing to much higher levels of efficiency than in aircraft lifted solely by rotors.

With a range of 300 km, the Lilium Jet will be capable of completing much longer journeys than the vast majority of its competitors, allowing it to connect entire regions rather than just making short trips across a single city.

Lilium has also completed its first dedicated manufacturing facility, an important step towards preparing the company for serial production of the Lilium Jet.

The first manufacturing facility, a 3,000 m² space located at the company’s headquarters, will soon be complemented by a second, much larger, facility which is already under construction at the same site. Combined, they will support Lilium’s aim of producing hundreds of aircraft a year by the time commercial services begin in 2025.