Vertical Aerospace will build early examples of its VX4 electric air taxi at Cotswold airport in southwest England – home to its flight-test centre – establishing a factory on the site capable of assembling 25 or more aircraft annually.
In addition, the company is to locate a battery production plant at Avonmouth near Bristol, adjacent to its existing ‘Energy Centre’ research and development facility. This will triple battery capacity, it says.
However, the company has yet to fully commit to making the VX4 in the UK, despite having previously championed ambitions for domestic manufacturing.
Vertical says it is still evaluating “locations in the UK and beyond” for full-rate production of both the aircraft and batteries, with a decision expected in 2026.
Siting both facilities for low-rate production alongside its existing operations “reduces integration risk, drives efficiency, and enables a seamless ramp from prototype through certification and initial production aircraft,” it says.
However, to reach the goal of certification by 2028, Vertical says it will require $700 million in funding. Its last investment round, which closed in July, pulled in $60 million – enough to bankroll operations until the middle of 2026.
Vertical has also revised upwards the future production and financial targets contained in its FlightPath 2030 strategy.
Launched in November last year, the document set a target of 150 total deliveries by 2030, a figure that has now been increased to 175.
In addition, while Vertical previously predicted it would be building aircraft by the last quarter of 2030 capable of supporting 200 deliveries per year, this has now grown to a 225-unit run rate. Forecast annual output by 2035 also rises to 900 aircraft, up from 700 previously.
Vertical also predicts it will achieve over $100 million in positive operating cash flow in 2030, against previous guidance of breakeven.
