Ampaire
Ampaire develops hybrid-electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft, including the AMP-H570 engine and converted Cessna 208B and DHC-6 airframes, targeting regional airlines, charter operators, and government programs with a path to FAA-certified commercial deployment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLong Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ampaire does
Ampaire is a California-based developer of hybrid-electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft, founded in 2016 by Kevin Noertker and Cory Combs. The company designs and builds the AmpDrive technology platform, headlined by the AMP-H570 plug-in hybrid-electric engine delivering 764 SHP at takeoff and 543 SHP continuous, with fuel burn reductions of 50-70% and direct operating cost savings of 20-40% versus traditional turboprop PT6 engines. Ampaire converts existing airframes — including the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (Eco Caravan, 9-seat) and DHC-6 Twin Otter (Eco Otter, 1 MW variant) — and uses a modified Cessna 337 Skymaster (Electric EEL) as a flight testbed. A clean-sheet fully-electric Tailwind aircraft is disclosed as a future platform. Supporting power electronics developed with academic partners include solid-state circuit breakers (IIT), silicon carbide inverters (U. Arkansas), and flying capacitor converters (UC Berkeley).
The company monetizes through direct hardware sales of propulsion systems and converted aircraft, technology licensing to OEMs, and ongoing maintenance and support services. Distribution is enterprise field sales targeting regional airlines, charter operators, cargo carriers, and specialized Twin Otter operators in remote regions. Government validation partners include NASA (Twin Otter DHC-6), ARPA-E (in-flight testbed for advanced power electronics, motors, batteries), the US Department of Energy ($9M award, November 2022), and the FAA eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (March 2026). Strategic investors and named customers include Hawaiian Airlines (strategic investment as part of a $600M Hawaii deployment plan, January 2026), Mokulele Airlines (Hawaii demonstration flights), Azul, Loganair, and Air France-KLM. Acquisitions of Talyn Air (July 2023, eVTOL and DoD contracts) and Magpie Aviation (August 2024, autonomous aerotow) extend the company into defense and advanced air mobility. In May 2025, the FAA approved the G-1 Issue Paper for the AMP-H570, making Ampaire the first hybrid-electric system to achieve this certification basis, with Supplemental Type Certification targeted for 2026.
Ampaire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ampaire
- Legal name
- Ampaire Inc.
- Website
- https://ampaire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ampaire develops hybrid-electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft, including the AMP-H570 engine and converted Cessna 208B and DHC-6 airframes, targeting regional airlines, charter operators, and government programs with a path to FAA-certified commercial deployment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ampaire industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Propulsion
- NAICS
- Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing (336412)
- SIC
- Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electric & Hybrid-Electric Propulsion (eVTOL/Regional) (IMABADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) & Alternative Fuels (e-fuels, biofuels, hydrogen) (THABANAA)
Keywords
Where Ampaire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ampaire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System Sales: Sale of AmpDrive H570 and AMP-H570 hybrid-electric propulsion systems for retrofitting existing aircraft. Systems available at cost parity with traditional PT6 engines.
- Electric Aircraft Conversions: Conversion of existing regional aircraft (Cessna Grand Caravan, Twin Otter) to hybrid-electric propulsion. Includes supplemental type certification pathway.
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary hybrid-electric propulsion technology to OEMs and aircraft manufacturers for integration into new aircraft designs.
- Maintenance and Support Services: Ongoing maintenance, support, and parts sales for hybrid-electric propulsion systems.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | AMP-H570 Hybrid-Electric Engine for Cessna 208B Grand Caravan |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Eco Caravan Aircraft |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ampaire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ampaire designs, develops, and manufactures hybrid-electric propulsion systems and electrified aircraft for regional aviation. Its flagship offering is the AMP-H570 plug-in hybrid-electric engine (first to receive an FAA G-1 certification basis) and the AmpDrive technology platform, sold both as retrofits for existing turboprop aircraft (e.g., Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, DHC-6 Twin Otter) and as integrated powertrains in Ampaire's own aircraft programs (Electric EEL testbed, Eco Caravan, Eco Otter, and forthcoming Tailwind). The company targets 50-70% fuel burn reductions and 20-40% direct operating cost savings for regional airline, charter, cargo, and government customers without requiring new ground charging infrastructure.
Product overview
Ampaire develops and manufactures hybrid-electric propulsion systems for aircraft, offering both retrofit powertrain technology and purpose-built electric aircraft. The product portfolio includes the AMP-H570 hybrid-electric engine (the first to achieve FAA G-1 certification), which can be retrofitted to existing aircraft like the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. The company also offers a progression of electrified aircraft: the Electric EEL testbed (modified Cessna 337), the Eco Caravan commercial aircraft, the Eco Otter regional turboprop variant, and the future fully-electric Tailwind clean-sheet design. The AmpDrive technology platform underpins all products, enabling electric propulsion across different aircraft types to reduce fuel consumption by 50-70%, maintenance by 50%, and noise by 60%.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tailwind: Clean-sheet fully-electric aircraft design representing the next generation of efficient, zero-emissions travel. The Tailwind is optimized for electric power with greater range, endurance, efficiency, and speed.
Products and services
- Electric EEL Modified Cessna 337 Skymaster used as a testbed aircraft for developing high-powered electronics, inverters, motors, and scalable technology and certification processes. Can serve owner-flown, charter, and short-haul regional airline/cargo carriers.
- Eco Caravan 9-seater aircraft powered by the AMP-H570 plug-in hybrid-electric powertrain, based on the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. Features both combustion engine and electric propulsion system with battery pack in cargo pod; the lowest emissions aircraft in its class with no charging stations required and up to 40% OPEX savings for operators.
- Eco Otter Low-emission variant of the Twin Otter DHC6 with 1 MW hybrid-electric system. Used as regional airliner, cargo hauler, and bush plane for specialized operations including surveillance and parachute jumping, delivering 20-30% fuel savings and 10-25% maintenance savings.
- Tailwind Clean-sheet designed fully-electric aircraft optimized for range, endurance, efficiency, and speed, representing Ampaire's next-generation zero-emissions travel vision.
- AMP-H570 Hybrid-Electric Engine Plug-in hybrid-electric engine delivering 764 SHP at takeoff and 543 SHP max continuous with electric boost. Achieves 50-70% fuel burn reduction versus traditional turboprop engines and 20-40% direct operating cost savings, with retrofit to existing aircraft at cost parity with PT6 engines.
- AmpDrive Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Technology Ampaire's core electric propulsion technology platform that works across multiple aircraft types to make all planes more efficient, enabling hybrid-electric aircraft with optimized energy use.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50-70% fuel burn reduction
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Ampaire
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ampaire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Ampaire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- FAA eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP)flagshipUtah Department of Transportation leads five-state partnership (Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma) with over 30 industry partners including Ampaire, BETA Technologies, Joby Aviation, and Lockheed Martin. Three-year program to gather data on electric flight for passenger transport, cargo, and medical use.
- 47GcoreUtah-based defense and aerospace consortium partnering in FAA eIPP program for electric flight testing.
- Lockheed MartincoreMajor defense contractor participating in Utah-led eIPP five-state partnership for electric aircraft testing.
- Hawaiian AirlinesflagshipStrategic investment as part of Hawaiian Airlines' $600M Kahu'ewai Hawai'i Investment Plan to support real-world deployment of Ampaire's Eco Caravan and AMP-H570 hybrid-electric engine in Hawaii operations for short-haul inter-island service.
- Mokulele AirlinescoreDemonstration partnership for hybrid-electric flight trials in Hawaii. Mokulele, a regional carrier serving Hawaii's inter-island routes, worked with Ampaire to demonstrate electric aviation viability in challenging island geography with mock-operational flights.
- NASAcoreMultiple NASA contracts to validate electrified aircraft capabilities with Twin Otter DHC-6. NASA collaboration targets: 22-32 decibel noise reduction, 65-75% emissions reduction, and 40-50% fuel/energy consumption reduction.
- ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy)coreDevelopment of new in-flight testbed aircraft for deploying advanced technologies including power distribution systems, high power electronics, inverters, electric motors, propellers, ducted fans, batteries, and fuel cells.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ampaire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- magniX: Direct competitor developing electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft (e.g., magni650, magniXALIA). Targets the same Cessna Caravan and Twin Otter retrofit market as Ampaire and is at a similar certification stage with multiple flight demonstrators.
- ZeroAvia: Develops hydrogen-electric powertrains for regional aircraft (e.g., ZA600). Competes for the same regional airline decarbonization budgets and is pursuing FAA and CAA certification for retrofit installations on Dornier 228 and other platforms.
- Heart Aerospace: Swedish startup developing the ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner (30 seats) with airline customers including United, Mesa, and Air Canada. Competes head-to-head with Ampaire for the regional short-haul retrofit/clean-sheet replacement market.
Broad incumbents
- Pratt & Whitney Canada: Dominant incumbent turboprop engine maker (PT6 family—the benchmark Ampaire targets for cost parity). Has publicly pursued hybrid-electric demonstrators; broader portfolio and far deeper resources make it the most credible incumbent threat.
- Rolls-Royce Electrical: Aerospace OEM division developing electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, including the Spirit of Innovation demonstrator and partnerships with airframers. Broad incumbent with capital depth and established airline relationships.
Emerging players
- Eviation Aircraft: Developer of the Alice, a clean-sheet all-electric 9-seat regional aircraft. Competes in adjacent technology (full-electric vs. Ampaire's hybrid) for the same regional airline customers and use cases.
- Joby Aviation: eVTOL developer named alongside Ampaire in the FAA eIPP/uFLY program. While focused on urban air mobility rather than regional routes, it competes for similar government validation, regulatory bandwidth, and investor capital in the electric aviation space.
- BETA Technologies: Electric aviation company developing the ALIA eVTOL and conventional electric aircraft, also named in the FAA eIPP/uFLY partnership with Ampaire. Competes in the same electric aviation ecosystem for government and commercial customer mindshare.
- Wright Electric: US-based startup developing electric propulsion for commercial aircraft including the Wright Spirit (BAE 146 retrofit). Targets the same regional-to-mid-market decarbonization use cases as Ampaire, with a focus on clean-sheet and retrofit electric platforms.
- Universal Hydrogen: Hydrogen fuel cell powertrain developer for regional aircraft (ATR 72 and Dash 8 conversions). Represents the primary leapfrog risk to Ampaire's hybrid-electric positioning by offering zero-emission alternative propulsion for the same regional segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ampaire social profiles
Digital presenceAmpaire compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Ampaire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ampaire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Ampaire subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Ampaire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds12 records
Investors22 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ampaire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ampaire
What does Ampaire do?
Ampaire designs, develops, and manufactures hybrid-electric propulsion systems and electrified aircraft for regional aviation. Its flagship offering is the AMP-H570 plug-in hybrid-electric engine (first to receive an FAA G-1 certification basis) and the AmpDrive technology platform, sold both as retrofits for existing turboprop aircraft (e.g., Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, DHC-6 Twin Otter) and as integrated powertrains in Ampaire's own aircraft programs (Electric EEL testbed, Eco Caravan, Eco Otter, and forthcoming Tailwind). The company targets 50-70% fuel burn reductions and 20-40% direct operating cost savings for regional airline, charter, cargo, and government customers without requiring new ground charging infrastructure.
Is Ampaire a public or private company?
Ampaire is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Ampaire founded?
Ampaire was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ampaire based?
Ampaire is headquartered in Long Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ampaire make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System Sales are the primary driver. The others are electric Aircraft Conversions, technology Licensing and maintenance and Support Services.
Who are Ampaire's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are magniX, ZeroAvia and Heart Aerospace. Broad incumbents are Pratt & Whitney Canada and Rolls-Royce Electrical. Emerging players are Eviation Aircraft, Joby Aviation, BETA Technologies, Wright Electric and Universal Hydrogen.
Does Ampaire have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ampaire.
What industry is Ampaire in?
Ampaire's product category is Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Propulsion. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABADAH, Electric & Hybrid-Electric Propulsion (eVTOL/Regional), with a secondary code of THABANAA, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) & Alternative Fuels (e-fuels, biofuels, hydrogen). Its NAICS code is 336412 and its SIC code is 3724.