Natilus seeks US site to build Kona aircraft

San Diego-based blended-wing aircraft developer Natilus is searching for a site in the United States to build a 250,000-square-foot facility to produce sixty Kona regional cargo aircraft each year. Natilus hopes to have the Kona production facility built and operational in about three years at a cost of roughly $100 million to $200 million, Natilus co-founder and Chief Executive Aleksey Matyushev told Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_57149794" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Natilus plans to open its first U.S. manufacturing facility for the Kona, its regional cargo aircraft, in about three years. (Courtesy/Natilus)[/caption] The Kona will be able to carry 4.3 tonnes of payload for up to 900 nautical miles, with an average cruising speed of 220 knots. Montreal-based Nolinor Aviation is the latest carrier to commit to the Kona blended-wing-body cargo aircraft, securing multiple production slots with Natilus for the aircraft. Canada’s Volatus Aerospace purchased the first Kona production slot in January 2022. Site location The aircraft developer has not selected a site for the facility yet and is focusing its search on areas in the U.S. with strong state and local incentive programs, adequate runway length, airspace clearance for testing, and proximity to suppliers and transportation. “There are a lot of considerations for us specifically tied to large airports,” Matyushev said. “Specifically, we need an 8,885-foot runway, and so that limits things quite a bit.” Another consideration is talent, he said. Natilus intends to hire 300 full-time, skilled employees across manufacturing, aerospace, propulsion and test engineering at the facility. Locating the facility near universities with strong engineering programs could help attract talent, he said. Before deciding to build a facility, Natilus considered renovating an existing structure. However, existing structures presented issues such as contaminated soil and unsuitable infrastructure. “We did look at a lot of military airbases and it kind of makes sense, but a lot of military bases are in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “Attracting talent to those middle-of-nowhere locations can be quite challenging.” "It doesn’t really make sense then for you to try to pigeonhole a company in this facility, which has all these limitations,” he said. In-house production President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports will not hamper Kona construction, Matyushev said. “Our airplanes are primarily [made of] carbon,” he said. “We have aluminum and steel on certain parts of the airframe, but the majority is carbon and we haven't seen a lot of tariffs being put on carbon just yet. “But obviously things do change by the hour sometimes,” he said. To prevent issues from future tariffs and to increase efficiency, Natilus is working to keep the production of parts in-house as much as possible, he said. Specifically, Natilus aims to make its own carbon fiber, fiberglass and carbon structures. The company already has a facility in San Diego with sheet-metal-production capabilities. Phase II The Kona production facility is Phase I of Natilus’ production plans. In Phase II, Natilus will build a 2.5 million-square-foot facility to produce the blended-wing-body Horizon passenger aircraft. Natilus plans to open that facility, which will employ about 3,000 workers, in the 2030s. The Horizon has a wider cross-section than tube-and-wing aircraft, enabling more space for cargo, 200 passengers and fuel storage, Matyushev previously told Cargo Facts . The Horizon offers 40% more payload capacity than conventional aircraft such as the A321neo or 737 Max 10, he said. Natilus is considering building the Phase II facility in the U.S., the United Arab Emirates, India or Saudi Arabia. However, demand could necessitate building two Horizon production facilities, Matyushev said. “Right now, 40,000 brand new narrowbodies need to be built over the next twenty years,” he said. “Maybe it does make sense to have a facility be in the United States [and another] one on a global level to help support some of those really dire markets that are just starving for aircraft, like India.” Register now for Cargo Facts EMEA, an essential regional event for industry stakeholders, on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey. For coverage of Cargo Facts Asia, happening now in Shan ghai, click here .

Natilus seeks US site to build Kona aircraft

250,000-square-foot facility to produce 60 blended-wing aircraft each year

Etihad’s Rodrigues joins Cargo Facts EMEA 2025

Mammoth evaluating Asian MROs for new conversion site

Related Posts

Dronamics plans to go public in US market

Skyways receives FAA authorization for long-range BVLOS ops over sea

Merlin to merge autonomous software with Cessna’s SkyCourier

Mammoth evaluating Asian MROs for new conversion site

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password