News United States Air Force
 BETA’s ALIA electric aircraft arrives at Eglin AFBPublished Oct. 30, 2023
                        
                        By Matthew Clouse
                        
                        
                        Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs
                **EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --**
                AFWERX Airmen and several local media outlets gathered at Duke Field on **Eglin Air Force Base**, Florida, to witness one of the quietest Air Force aircraft flyovers ever. BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company and AFWERX Prime division partner, made several low passes in its ALIA electric aircraft as the audience celebrated its delivery to the Air Force Oct. 26, 2023.AFWERX Airmen and several local media outlets gathered at Duke Field on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to witness the delivery of BETA's ALIA electric aircraft to the Air Force for testing Oct. 26, 2023.AFWERX Airmen and several local media outlets gather at Duke Field on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to witness the delivery of BETA's ALIA electric aircraft to the Air Force for testing Oct. 26, 2023. AFWERX first partnered with BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company, in December 2019 and has since awarded them several contracts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jennifer Bryant)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res

    










**AFWERX**, the innovation arm of the Air Force and a directorate within the **Air Force Research Laboratory** located at **Wright-Patterson Air Force Base**, Ohio, brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the Air Force. This includes partnering with BETA and other electric aircraft companies to bring zero-emission aviation to the military along with other benefits, including a quiet noise profile and the cost savings to operate and maintain its fleet without dependency on traditional fossil fuels.

“We are really excited about companies like BETA when they invent things like this,” said **Col. Elliott Leigh**, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force. "It is going to transform the way we see air travel in the world, but it is also going to transform the way we have air power in the Air Force. We’re going to learn what we can do with vehicles like this and we’re going to take it to our warfighters.”

BETA’s ALIA electric aircraft has a 50-foot wingspan, a range of 250 miles with a top speed of 138 mph and is 90% quieter than a helicopter. While ALIA has the capability to transport five passengers, the Air Force test objective is to demonstrate its potential to support agile combat employment logistics with its payload capacity of 1,000 pounds.
Located 10 miles north of Eglin Air Force Base, Duke Field was strategically selected as the test field for ALIA. The field is home to the Air Force’s rotary wing test squadron, the 413th Flight Test Squadron.

“All of the testing will be contractor owned and operated, but the 413th FLTS wrote the test and safety plan,” said Maj. Riley Livermore, 413th Flight Test Squadron flight commander. “We are responsible for coordinating daily flight operations to include range scheduling and logistics support. Then we’ll write a report following the conclusion of the test deployment to report our findings.”

Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force, shakes the hand of Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, to celebrate the delivery of BETA's ALIA electric aircraft for testing at Duke Field, Florida, Oct. 26, 2023.Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force, shakes the hand of Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, to celebrate the delivery of BETA's ALIA electric aircraft to the Air Force for testing at Duke Field, Florida, Oct. 26, 2023. The field is home to the Air Force’s rotary wing test squadron, the 413th Flight Test Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jennifer Bryant)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res

    









“Part of the testing process was to install an aircraft charger on a military installation to capture lessons learned and hopefully inform and accelerate future projects at different bases,” Livermore said. “The fixed charging station will also help us write procedures and safety requirements for the Air Force. They’re currently not defined because the technology is new.”

The first ALIA flight test is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 7, 2023.




**About AFRL**

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development.

**About AFWERX**

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 4,697 contracts worth more than $2.6 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability.AFwerX 



AFWERX Agility Prime 



AFRL 



413th Flight Test Squadron 



413th FLTS 



BETA Technologies 



LR 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Eglin 



Air Force Research Laboratory 



duke field 



electric aircraft 



zero emission 



flight testing 



electric aerospace 



Alia Related Links
        Electric Alia begins flight testing at Eglin