Heart Aerospace

BPrivateFounded 2018🇺🇸El Segundo, California

CEO

Anders Forslund

Overview

Heart Aerospace is developing the ES-30, a 30-seat clean-sheet hybrid-electric regional aircraft for short-haul routes from smaller airports. Founded in Sweden and now headquartered in El Segundo, California, the company is following an iterative development path built around the Heart X1 and X2 prototypes while bringing more of its batteries, actuation systems, software, and hybrid-electric hardware in-house. Heart says it has raised $185M to date, secured 250 aircraft orders plus 120 options and purchase rights, and is targeting ES-30 type certification in 2029.

Main Products

ES-30

In Development

A 30-seat clean-sheet hybrid-electric regional aircraft built around Heart's Reserve Hybrid architecture for short-haul routes. Heart is positioning the ES-30 around lower operating cost, lower noise, shorter-runway access, and zero-CO2 operations on short segments.

Heart unveiled the full-scale X1 demonstrator in 2024 and has shifted to an iterative X1/X2 development path with more in-house technology integration. The X2 prototype is intended to mature the hybrid-electric architecture ahead of a 2029 certification target.

Passenger Capacity30 seats

All-Electric Range200 km (108 nm) with 30 pax

Hybrid Range800 km (431 nm) with 25 pax

Runway Length1,100 m

Charge Time30 minutes

Type Certification Target2029

What's Next

HX-1 all-electric first flight

Heart's latest public schedule moved the maiden flight of the X1 all-electric demonstrator into early 2026 after another delay, making the first flight the next key proof point for the program.

Early 2026 (last public target)

HX-2 hybrid-electric flight demonstration

The X2 prototype is Heart's next major aircraft after X1 and is meant to validate the integrated hybrid-electric stack, in-house subsystems, and production methods needed for the ES-30.

2026

ES-30 type certification

Heart's current public target is ES-30 type certification in 2029, a milestone that would put the program among the first certified hybrid-electric commercial aircraft efforts.

2029

Prepare ES-30 for commercial service

Beyond certification, Heart says its goal is to bring electric flight into commercial regional service by the end of the decade while building the surrounding infrastructure and services stack.

By 2030

Operations & Revenue

StatusDevelopment Stage

Pre-revenue. Heart consolidated around its El Segundo headquarters in 2025, is iterating on the Heart X1 demonstrator, preparing the Heart X2 prototype, and building out the ES-30 production system in the U.S.

Revenue Streams

ES-30 Aircraft Sales (future)

Future aircraft sales backed by 250 firm orders from United Airlines (100), Mesa Air Group (100), Air Canada (30), and Rockton (20), plus 120 options and purchase rights and 191 letters of intent.

Infrastructure and Services (future)

Heart says it is building the related infrastructure and service layer needed to unlock the full market potential of regional electric aviation alongside the ES-30 aircraft program.

Key Metrics

Employees

~73

Est. Annual Revenue

Pre-revenue

Total Funding Raised

$185M

Firm Orders

250 aircraft (United, Mesa, Air Canada, Rockton)

Total Order Pipeline

~561 aircraft (250 firm + 120 options + 191 LOIs)

ES-30 Hybrid Range

800 km (25 pax)

Timeline

2025Relocated HQ to California

Heart relocates its corporate headquarters from Gothenburg to Los Angeles, closes Swedish operations, and says the move will support upcoming Heart X1 experimental flights and the future Heart X2 prototype. The company also discloses a new $40M investment alongside the transition.

2024$107M Series B and ES-30 redesign

Raises $107M Series B led by the European Innovation Council Fund. Reveals major ES-30 redesign with off-the-shelf parallel hybrid powertrain (turboprops + electric motors on wing). Unveils the full-scale HX-1 demonstrator.

2024HX-1 demonstrator unveiled

Heart Aerospace unveils the HX-1 (Heart X1), its first full-scale all-electric flight-test demonstrator aircraft, and selects Plattsburgh International Airport in New York for its first flight.

2022Pivot from ES-19 to ES-30

Heart unveils the ES-30, a larger 30-seat hybrid-electric design replacing the all-electric 19-seat ES-19. Air Canada invests $5M and orders 30 aircraft. Saab invests $5M as a strategic partner.

2021United Airlines and Mesa Air order 200 aircraft

Heart raises a $35M Series A led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures. United Airlines and Mesa Air Group each order 100 aircraft with 50 options, totaling up to 200 ES-19s (later converted to ES-30 orders).

2019Y Combinator and seed funding

Heart Aerospace is accepted into Y Combinator's W19 batch and raises a $2.1M seed round led by EQT Ventures, Norrsken Foundation, and Lowercarbon Capital.

2018Founded

Anders Forslund and Klara Forslund found Heart Aerospace in Gothenburg, Sweden, spinning off from the Elise research programme funded by Swedish innovation agency Vinnova.

Funding

Round	Date	Amount	Investors
Pre-seed (Y Combinator)	2019	$150K	Y Combinator (W19)
Seed	2019	$2.1M	EQT Ventures, Norrsken Foundation, Lowercarbon Capital
Series A	2021	$35M	Breakthrough Energy Ventures, United Airlines Ventures, Mesa Air Group
Strategic Investment	2022	$10M	Air Canada ($5M), Saab ($5M)
Series B	2024	$107M	European Innovation Council Fund, Sagitta Ventures, Air Canada, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, EQT Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, United Airlines
Follow-on	2025	$40M	Existing investor (undisclosed)