DOD Agility Prime Program instrumental for BETA

Carly Newton, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·2 min read

Mar. 27—PLATTSBURGH — The Department of Defense's Agility Prime Program, which just secured an additional $20 million from the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, has been instrumental for BETA Technologies.

Since it began participating in the program in 2020, Burlington, Vt.-based BETA, the electric aerospace manufacturer that performs cutting edge critical cargo, military and medical missions and has operated on the flight line of Plattsburgh International Airport since 2017, through its relationship with the DOD, has hit these key milestones:

— BETA received the DOD's first manned airworthiness certificate granted to an electric aircraft developer

— BETA completed the first qualitative evaluation flights with test pilots from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army.

— In October 2023, BETA delivered its ALIA CTOL aircraft to Duke Field at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida after flying it down the east coast from Vermont. This delivery, which kicked off a three-month deployment with the USAF, marked the first time an electric aircraft had been flown onto an Air Force base for deployment.

Key highlights from that deployment included the experimentation, capability validation and cost-savings proven.

Following that deployment at Eglin AFB, BETA was then invited to participate in an Agile Combat Exercise Scenario in Savannah, Ga. with the Vermont National Guard in February.

Key takeaways from BETA's participation in that training exercise, according to a news release, included demonstrating the key impacts electric aviation can have on military services, including faster mission generation and response time, critical cargo transport efficiency, a flexible footprint and cost efficiency.

"This simulated mission also showcased that electric aviation not only fits seamlessly into military operations, but requires fewer resources for operation and demonstrates enhanced rapid response capabilities."

While it has not been made clear how much of the $20 million increase in funding will eventually be made available to BETA, the manufacturer still stands to benefit from the increased pool of federal funding in the Appropriations Bill, which passed the House Friday and was signed into law by President Joe Biden Saturday.

NY-21 Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville), who voted to approve and help secure the federal funding increase, told the Press-Republican Monday that "This is a big win" for BETA.

Email: cnewton@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: CarlySNewton