Vertical Aerospace has secured financing commitments of approximately $100 million from existing and new investors to advance certification and commercialisation of its Valo electric aircraft. The funding comprises $40 million from Mudrick Capital Management through a convertible note facility, $35 million from an underwritten equity offering of units priced at $1.05 each, and $25 million from a preferred equity facility with Yorkville Advisors. The capital will support critical design review, expand battery production capacity through a new Energy Centre, and enable development of UK production facilities. The company plans to retrofit its third prototype aircraft for hybrid-electric flight testing in the first half of 2027. The financing follows Vertical's recent achievement as only the second company globally to complete a piloted transition flight in a full-scale tiltrotor eVTOL. The company demonstrated this capability at Farnborough International Airshow with five successful flights.

Flying taxi-maker Vertical Aerospace to land fresh $100m capital injection. Sunday, 9 August 2026 12:58 By Mark Kleinman, City editor A flying taxi maker which has pledged to create 1,000 new jobs in Britain is in the process of raising another $100m to accelerate its ambition of delivering mass commercial electric aviation. Sky News has learnt that New York-listed Vertical Aerospace, which featured prominently at last month's Farnborough Air Show, is hoping to secure the sum in the coming days. The $100m equity infusion will include $35m from existing institutional backers as well as potential new investors, with the bulk of the commitment coming from Mudrick Capital Management and Yorkville Advisors, two big current shareholders in Vertical Aerospace. Sources said the details of the deal, which is being handled by bankers at Jefferies, as early as Monday. If confirmed, it would come a fortnight after Vertical Aerospace, which went public in 2021, said it was in advanced discussions about a grant worth up to £10m from the UK government to support the development of production facilities in Britain. The company has also joined a Honeywell Aerospace-led EU initiative to accelerate the integration of electric Vehicle Take Off and Landing aircraft into European airspace. In total, Vertical Aerospace has received close to £50m of government funding as it seeks to justify its billing as a global pioneer of commercial passenger aircraft powered by electricity. Its six-seater flying taxis, branded Valo, have generated significant international interest as it races to bring them to launch. Its latest external capital-raising comes less than six months after it secured up to $850m from investors as it tried to allay concerns about the strength of its balance sheet. Responding to an enquiry from Sky News, a spokesman for Vertical Aerospace said a recently filed term sheet "sets out a non-binding framework for a potential financing transaction and remains subject to definitive agreements and other customary conditions". "As previously communicated, the company continues to evaluate opportunities to raise equity through the capital markets. "We look forward to providing a broader update during our H1 2026 Business Update on 13 August." Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace was founded by the Ovo Energy entrepreneur, Stephen Fitzpatrick, who also created the smart energy software platform Kaluza. Mr Fitzpatrick has gradually sold down his stake in the company, and now owns a small minority interest. Vertical Aerospace was chaired by Domhnal Slattery, a pioneer in the aircraft leasing industry, and counts Lord Parker, the former director-general of MI5, the domestic security service, as a non-executive director. The company has landed orders from JetSetGo in India and Heli Air Monaco, the latter of which is aimed at serving demand along the Côte d'Azur. Its test flights are being supervised by the Civil Aviation Authority, and the company hopes to have its aircraft certified in 2029, with delivery to airline customers after that. Speaking after its public demonstrations at Farnborough, Vertical Aerospace chief executive Stuart Simpson said they had shown that "electric aviation is moving from promise to progress". "From our historic public transition flight to new customers, partnerships and government support, we've demonstrated that commercialising a new class of aircraft takes more than breakthrough technology - it takes an ecosystem." The company declined to comment further on the details or timing of the prospective $100m capital injection.

Vertical Aerospace to develop high-power charging technology in-house. 4-Aug-2026 Source: Vertical Aerospace Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation, announced it will lead the development of next-generation high-power charging and thermal management technology through the UK Government-backed ECLiPSE (Electrified Charging & Liquid-cooling Provision for Support of E-flights) programme. As the electric aviation industry moves toward commercial operations, charging infrastructure is emerging as one of the critical technologies needed to make high-frequency electric flight commercially and financially viable. Led by Vertical in partnership with the University of Bath along with engineering technology and consulting firm InnCat Ltd., the ECLiPSE project will develop innovative charging and liquid-cooling technologies designed to reduce infrastructure costs, accelerate site integration and enable faster aircraft turnaround, helping unlock the next generation of zero-emission aviation. Announced at the Farnborough International Airshow, during which Vertical demonstrated the show's first eVTOL flights, the project has been selected for funding through the UK Department for Transport's Zero Emission Flight Demonstrator programme and represents a total investment of approximately £3.4 million, including up to £1.75 million in government funding, subject to completion of the grant agreement. The funding forms part of a wider UK Government £43 million package for next-generation aviation technology. In a major vote of confidence for the technology, new government-backed research from the University of Birmingham has recently found that flying taxis could improve connectivity, support economic growth and help deliver cleaner aviation across the UK. Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said: "To unlock commercial electric aviation, the industry needs the infrastructure that allows aircraft to recharge quickly, operate efficiently and scale economically. Through ECLiPSE, we're making electric flight operational and commercially viable, while strengthening the UK's leadership in next-generation aerospace innovation." Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, said: "The next generation of flight is taking off in the UK. By powering up electric and hydrogen-powered planes, we're bringing passengers closer to the flights of the future - while creating skilled jobs, backing UK businesses and spreading economic growth to all 4 corners of the country. We're working hand in hand with industry to cut emissions, drive innovation, and ensure the UK remains one of the best places in the world to build, test and fly the aircraft of tomorrow." The ECLiPSE project will integrate advanced high-power charging and thermal management technologies that are expected to improve charging performance while reducing system size, installation complexity and long-term operating costs. By increasing charging power and improving thermal management, the programme aims to make electric aircraft operations more commercially attractive for operators while accelerating deployment of charging infrastructure. The technologies developed through the programme are also expected to have applications across the wider transport sector as electrification continues to expand. The announcement builds on longstanding UK Government support for Vertical through programmes including the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), the Future Flight Challenge and now the Department for Transport's Zero Emission Flight Demonstrator programme. In addition, Vertical announced this week that they are in advanced discussions with the UK Government on a broad package to anchor the first of Vertical's planned global full-production sites in the UK. The package includes a further grant of up to £10 million ($13.5 million), bringing total direct UK Government funding support to approximately £48 million ($64 million). Vertical is developing not only its Valo electric aircraft but also helping build the broader ecosystem required to support commercial electric flight. Alongside recent strategic agreements across aircraft systems, hybrid-electric propulsion and defence applications, the ECLiPSE programme expands Vertical's capabilities into charging infrastructure, an increasingly important element of the future advanced air mobility value chain.