ALIA Aircraft Production Facility Opens at Vermont Airport

BETA Technologies Opens
Electric Aircraft Production Facility
Aircraft production has begun in the new large-scale facility; BETA is finalizing installation of all
manufacturing tooling and bringing subsystems production lines online
BETA’s facility is designed to be net-zero, equipped with state-of-the-art sustainability technology
BETA’s balanced approach to manufacturing includes vertically integrating the design and manufacture of
new and enabling technologies such as their superefficient propulsion system, battery systems, and flight
controls; and contracting top aerospace suppliers, including Albany Engineered Composites, Advanced
Integration Technology, Garmin, Solvay, Sensata, and Volz Servos among others
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT (October 2, 2023) — BETA Technologies (“BETA” or “the Company”), an
electric aerospace company, has opened the doors to a large-scale production facility at the Patrick
Leahy Burlington International Airport in Vermont, where it will manufacture and assemble its all-electric
aircraft. Production has begun with the installation of assembly tooling and the initiation of various system
production lines, marking a significant milestone along BETA’s path to delivering its all-electric aircraft, the
ALIA CTOL and the ALIA VTOL, to military and commercial customers.
The 188,500 sq ft production facility will ultimately be capable of producing up to 300 aircraft per year
and it is expected to create hundreds of jobs. BETA is planning for a steady ramp up to maximum
production rates and delivery to its diverse base of customers across cargo, medical, defense, and
passenger industries. The facility is located on a 40-acre site, with potential to support a significant
expansion, doubling in size via a Phase II build-out.
“The team here at BETA is excited to enter the next phase of our growing electric aerospace business.
We have worked through research, engineering, prototyping, test flying, initial phases of certification and
now we are entering our next important step of starting production, in an inspiring facility,” said Kyle Clark,
CEO and Founder of BETA. “The internal BETA team along with many awesome local contractors,
tradespeople and civil servants have challenged each other to create a beautiful, sustainable and
functional building for producing the future of aviation. We are incredibly thankful to this community.”
BETA opens the doors to its scaled production facility following a methodical series of steps to ensure
production readiness. The company has been refining pilot production line efficiency and flow for its
internally developed technologies and systems, including battery packs, electric motors, and inverters.
The Company has also developed and is exercising its quality management systems and manufacturing
process procedures and standards — and is working closely with the FAA to certify them.
To date, BETA has flown more than 500 full-scale, piloted flights on BETA-built battery systems and
conducted more than 10,000 hours of testing on electric motors produced on its pilot production lines. In
addition, BETA has long been partnering with many of its primary suppliers, meaning the bulk of its
26,000 test flight miles have been conducted with the same supplier parts and systems designated for the
production aircraft.
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BETA has taken a strategic approach to its supply chain, partnering with aerospace leaders on various
systems and components for its production aircraft, while internally designing and manufacturing the
proprietary, high-performance electric motors, battery systems, and flight control hardware and software
systems that power it. This approach allows BETA to reduce certification friction and de-risk production,
while implementing already-certified systems designed by established, innovative aerospace companies
and maintaining IP on its own highly-efficient powertrain.
Industrializing A Clean Aviation Future, Sustainably
BETA’s production facility is a first-of-its-kind building designed very intentionally to be sustainable — an
embodiment of BETA’s mission to decarbonize the aviation sector and help turn the corner on climate
change. Three pillars inform the construction design strategy: sustainability, efficiency, and people-first.
The new facility is equipped with 260 geothermal wells to provide energy for temperature control within
the building, and nearly three acres of roof-mounted solar panels — contributing to a net-zero campus.
The structural sub-base supports concrete foundations and is made by a glass aggregate of 99%
recycled glass and 1% binder, replacing nearly 100,000 cubic feet of styrofoam insulation.
The assembly line floor is optimized to move aircraft along the line in a safe, climate-controlled, and
logical manner — and it’s designed with the future in mind. Unique to the manufacturing industry, the
facility’s floor to ceiling windows and a quarter acre skylight enable natural light throughout the facility, and
tunable lighting systems offer a more natural working environment at all times of day. Common areas and
large windows are strategically placed throughout the building, visually connecting the team to accelerate
collaboration and teamwork.
A Balanced Approach to Manufacturing: Vertical and Horizontal Integration
BETA’s aircraft are powered by electric propulsion, the heart of which is BETA’s proprietary electric motor,
inverter, battery systems, and flight controls. The Company has designed and will produce these
elements internally to optimize for safety,weight, performance, and reliability.
The company’s motors feature a redundant design powered by redundant three-phase inverters, creating
a simple, safe, and efficient powertrain. BETA has achieved significant milestones on early versions of its
powertrain, flying two multi-leg, thousand-mile-plus missions — all while demonstrating a 97.5% efficiency
during cruise flight. The motors receive power from up to five modular battery packs — each of which
holds 45 to 60 kWh. BETA’s battery systems are proprietary, incorporating pack- and cell-level cooling as
well as additional thermal and safety redundancies.
BETA has also been working closely with its top-tier aerospace suppliers. The company has partnered
with industry-leading material suppliers, tooling providers, and composite parts providers to produce
distinctive composite structures — and is layering in its own extensive human factors and system
engineering experience, to develop an industry-leading aircraft design.
● BETA’s design and manufacturing engineering teams have partnered with Albany Engineered
Composites (AEC), a leading manufacturer of highly engineered composite components, to
deliver BETA’s bespoke primary composite parts, including wing skins, spars, and ribs, fuselage
and empennage components.
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● The aerospace automation and tooling industry’s leading designer, manufacturer, and integrator
of automated conveyance, positioning, and joining systems, Advanced Integration Technology
(AIT), is serving as BETA’s industrialization partner. AIT is utilizing its process development and
engineering core competencies along with vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities to
provide automated equipment and precision tooling for primary structure assembly at BETA’s
production facility. AIT is also developing and supplying complete tooling solutions to BETA’s
composite part suppliers.
● Garmin, a world leader of aviation technologies and solutions, will supply the avionics suite for
BETA’s integrated flight deck. In the last year, the companies have collaborated to tailor Garmin’s
commercial, off-the-shelf products to BETA’s IFR capable electric aircraft. The Garmin system
provides pilots with acute information about batteries, motors, and digital control systems for safe
commercial operations.
● ALIA’s sensor-based pilot inceptor and throttles come from Sensata Technologies, a leading
industrial technology company that specializes in sensor-rich solutions and high voltage electrical
protection. BETA has layered extensive human factors engineering, developing mechanical
designs that leverage Sensata’s extensive background in flight controls, sensing, and actuation.
● BETA has also teamed up with Volz Servos - a leading manufacturer and supplier of
electromechanical rotary actuators - to provide reliable flight control surface actuation.
● Solvay, a world leader in advanced polymers and composite materials, is BETA’s primary
composite material supplier. BETA has worked with Solvay to complete extensive qualification
testing on its composite materials, which support the aircraft structures. Composites represent up
to 70% of our aircraft structures and are critical to enabling lightweighting and meeting use case
targets.
“We’re honored to partner with a leader and true innovator in the emerging and exciting electric
aerospace arena,” said Greg Harwell, President of Albany Engineered Composite (AEC). “From our
very first discussions, it’s clear we share the same passion for aviation, innovation, collaboration, and
delivering mission success.”
“This unique partnership connects one of the world’s most respected leaders in aerospace manufacturing,
automation, and tooling with the leading innovator in electric aircraft,” said Ed Chalupa, Chairman and
CEO of AIT. “We believe that this partnership will be a game-changer for the aerospace industry and a
great opportunity to contribute to BETA’s bright future, by providing AIT’s industry-leading factory
solutions.”
“BETA has made great technical progress and has already achieved significant milestones, including
flying both aircraft and receiving military flight release for the ALIA CTOL, in their effort towards bringing a
more sustainable aviation solution to the market,” said Phil Straub, Garmin’s Executive Vice President &
Managing Director, Aviation. “It’s an honor to have our integrated flight deck chosen for the revolutionary
ALIA VTOL and ALIA CTOL aircraft and we are thrilled to be part of BETA’s mission to grow the electric
aviation market.”
“We’re excited to be a part of the industry’s transformation as we partner with innovative companies like
BETA to develop solutions for new electric aircraft that build on our decades of expertise in aerospace,”
says Stuart Parker, Aerospace General Manager at Sensata Technologies.
“With the ALIA CTOL and ALIA VTOL, BETA continues its unprecedented history in uncrewed aviation,”
said Phillipp Volz, CEO of Volz Servos. “We are honored by BETA’s trust and are immensely proud to be
able to equip these aircrafts with our actuators - especially considering the challenges that eVTOLs still
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have to overcome today, first and foremost compliance with important safety standards. Being able to
deliver unique, certifiable actuators that comply with both European and U.S. aviation regulations is
crucial for gaining a foothold in a market whose great potential is increasingly being recognized.”
“Solvay is proud to be the advanced material supplier of choice for BETA Technologies as they bring the
ALIA CTOL, and ALIA VTOL to market,” said Marc Doyle, Executive Vice President, Aerospace and
Defense, Solvay Materials Segment. “These vehicles represent a new dawn in safe and efficient electric
aviation. Solvay's unrivaled portfolio of composite, adhesive and specialty polymer solutions will help
ensure the development of lightweight, and certifiable aircrafts. With decades of experience in the
aerospace and automotive markets, our technical team is supporting Beta and its partners both remotely
and onsite across materials qualification, certification, and industrialization. We are excited to be involved
in this pioneering program.”
The Company has partnered with numerous other industry-leading aerospace suppliers for other key
systems and materials, from lithium-ion battery cells to propellers and exterior lighting.
BETA undertook an extensive process over the last four years to identify partners willing to join its mission
to deliver its electric aviation system to customers. Many of the engaged suppliers have been partners of
BETA’s, working with the Company to co-engineer bespoke systems for the Company’s aircraft. In fact,
various partners have supplied systems that are currently installed on the Company’s two test articles and
simulators, logging real, practical hours of in-field use and telemetry data.
Continued Growth in the Vermont
Today’s opening signifies another phase of growth for BETA within the state of Vermont. With this
opening, BETA’s production facility joins its other Vermont sites, including R&D headquarters and a
Maintenance & Training hangar in South Burlington, pilot manufacturing facilities in Williston, and an
Advanced Battery Research Center in St. Albans.
The company also has locations in Plattsburgh, New York, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Canada, Raleigh,
North Carolina, and Springfield, Ohio.
“BETA’s forward-thinking approach to sustainable aviation has led to new jobs, new community
partnerships, and investment in the Burlington area and all of Vermont. It’s also encouraging to see the
total transformation of a 40-acre brownfield — from an unused stretch of land in need of redevelopment
and cleanup, to a green-energy, net-zero, hub of economic and electric aviation activity,” said Sen. Welch.
“I’m excited to celebrate the official opening of the production facility, and look forward to seeing the new
heights BETA will reach because of this new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.”
“The opening of the production facility is incredibly good news for Vermont and another huge step forward
for BETA. I’m thrilled for Kyle and the whole team at BETA to see their hard work pay off, and I’m excited
to continue to watch them thrive, innovate and grow in the Green Mountain State.”
[Additional quotes from Vermont electeds]