Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton | OINT BASE CAPE COD, Mass — Members of the Massachusetts Army and Air National Guard,...... read more read more
JOINT BASE CAPE COD, Mass. — Members of the Massachusetts Army and Air National Guard,
United States Coast Guard Base Cape Cod, and local leaders welcomed the first fully electric airplane
to land on Joint Base Cape Cod on Friday, March 8, 2024. The all-electric flight was conducted
by BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company based in Burlington, Vermont. After touching
down, the team from BETA gave attendees a walk-through of the ALIA aircraft and briefed them on
the battery-powered aircraft, its capabilities, and potential future use cases.
“We see this as an opportunity not just for JBCC, but for the entire region,” said Brig Gen. (Ret.)
Christopher Faux, JBCC Executive Director. “Finding airfield partners helps reduce the cost of
airfield operations for our military partners while simultaneously bringing the innovation associated
with Advanced Air Mobility to the Cape. If this concept takes root at JBCC, it will bring STEM-related
employment opportunities as well as the workforce development required in their support. At this
point, I can only imagine, not quantify, the synergies of electric aircraft at civilian airports throughout
the region working hand in hand with military aviation on JBCC.”
Prior to ALIA’s fly-in and on site display, on March 7, 2024, BETA also participated in a briefing with
the local community around JBCC. BETA test pilot and former Air Force Commander, Chris Caputo,
was able to share more detail about BETA Technologies, the company’s recent accomplishments, and
progress toward certification and operations for commercial and military customers alike with local
and state officials in the Cape Cod and greater Massachusetts region.
This visit, which was arranged with help from AFWERX’s Agility Prime program, follows the completion
of BETA’s first deployment with the U.S. Air Force. From October 26, 2023, to January 27, 2024,
the company was based at Duke Field on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., where they conducted operational
experimentation flights with the 413th Flight Test Squadron.
The BETA and 413th teams executed hundreds of sorties, as well as casualty evacuation and
maintenance recovery training missions — similar to the emergency response, security, training support,
and search and rescue missions of the five military commands at JBCC.
Programs like Agility Prime aim to accelerate and “prime” emerging commercial markets by incorporating
military interests to help advance new technologies in the business. This benefits both the
commercial industry and military capabilities.
Bringing this program, and the BETA ALIA to JBCC will enable the Massachusetts National Guard to
stay on the forefront of emerging technologies and bring a benefit to the Cape, the Commonwealth,
and the region.
“Developing military use cases for Advanced Air Mobility technologies, such as BETA’s electric
Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft, will create opportunities to improve civilian transportation in the
Commonwealth, across New England, and throughout the nation,” said Mass DOT Aeronautics
Administer Jeff DeCarlo, who attended the meeting. “A quieter civilian electric aircraft that launches
and lands like a helicopter yet flies with the speed and agility of a plane can create new opportunities
to move people and cargo in a way that’s green, clean, and more efficient, cost-effective, equitable,
and versatile.”
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| Date Taken: | 03.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2024 08:58 |
| Story ID: | 466043 |
| Location: | BOURNE, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 241 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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