Vertical Aerospace has completed the maiden piloted flight of its second full-scale VX4 prototype on 5 June at its UK flight test centre. The new aircraft, cleared by a fresh UK CAA Permit to Fly, roughly doubles the company's flight test capacity alongside its first prototype. This is the final prototype before Vertical's Critical Design Review, the milestone that locks in a certifiable design ahead of pre-production. The aircraft will later be retrofitted for hybrid-electric flight targeting defence and logistics use cases. Vertical holds around 1,500 conditional pre-orders for its four-passenger Valo air taxi from airlines including American Airlines and Japan Airlines, but faces stiff competition from US rivals Joby and Archer, a delayed CAA certification target now set for end of 2026, and an industry backdrop where multiple eVTOL startups have gone insolvent.
