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Urban Aeronautics: Israel’s Wingless eVTOL Changing the Face of City Flight

SKYFORCE

While most eVTOLs in the world rely on wings, rotors, and sprawling vertiports, Urban Aeronautics is doing something different—and deeply practical. This Tel Aviv-based aerospace innovator is designing compact, wingless flying vehicles tailored for real cities, not just concept renderings. With their flagship aircraft, CityHawk, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, Urban Aeronautics is creating a new standard for clean, quiet, space-efficient urban mobility.

From medical emergencies to executive transport, CityHawk’s design brings vertical flight to the most crowded places on Earth—no runways, no exposed rotors, no noise disruption.

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The Founder: Rafi Yoeli – From Military Engineering to Urban Air Mobility

Dr. Rafi Yoeli, an accomplished aerospace engineer with a background in military aviation, founded Urban Aeronautics with a vision to make vertical flight safe and accessible inside urban spaces. Having worked on advanced programs with Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing, Yoeli realized that for urban flight to succeed, the aircraft must operate without wings or external rotors.

This vision gave birth to Fancraft™ technology, which uses internally ducted rotors to enable vertical takeoff, hover, and forward flight—all while keeping the aircraft’s footprint as compact as a family SUV.

 

The Tech: CityHawk — The Wingless, Hydrogen-Powered eVTOL for the Real World

CityHawk is unlike anything else in the eVTOL market. Compact, zero-emission, and built for rooftop and curbside operations, it’s designed for dense, high-pressure urban environments.

CityHawk at a Glance:

  • Propulsion: Hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric motors
  • Design: Wingless structure with fully enclosed rotors
  • Capacity: 1 pilot + 5 passengers
  • Noise Profile: Under 70 dBA (comparable to a vacuum cleaner)
  • Use Cases: Emergency response, air taxi, VIP transport, military logistics
  • Safety: Enclosed rotor system + ballistic parachute + multiple redundancies

CityHawk doesn’t need runways or wide-open rooftops. It can land in tight urban spaces, making it ideal for hospitals, disaster zones, busy downtowns, or superdense cities.

 

Mission: Safe, Clean, Compact Urban Air Mobility

Urban Aeronautics is driven by a powerful mission to solve the three biggest problems of city aviation: space, safety, and sustainability.

  • Space: CityHawk operates in confined areas, needing only a standard helipad or building rooftop
  • Safety: Internal rotors prevent ground-level injuries or property damage
  • Sustainability: Hydrogen fuel cell propulsion means zero carbon emissions—just water vapor
  • Speed & Flexibility: Designed for urgent use cases like medical response or VIP mobility

This is not a dream of air taxis in 2035. This is a practical, deployable solution for cities that need vertical mobility now.

 

Strategic Growth and Partnerships

Urban Aeronautics has built momentum through smart collaborations and international development:

  • Partnered with emergency flight services to adapt CityHawk for medical evacuations and organ transport
  • Working with major aerospace companies to advance hydrogen power systems
  • Secured multi-million dollar funding rounds to support development, certification, and scaling
  • Developing both civilian and military versions of its Fancraft-based vehicles

 

Why Ceekers Should Watch Urban Aeronautics

Urban Aeronautics represents a truly new category of eVTOL—one designed for real cities, not just glossy concept airports. For Ceekers, this means:

  • Futureproof Infrastructure: CityHawk doesn’t need new vertiports—just a parking space-sized landing pad
  • Hydrogen Leadership: As the world pivots to green hydrogen, Urban Aero is already there
  • Immersive Experience Potential: The quiet cabin and tight design open up opportunities for AR/VR-enhanced in-flight experiences
  • Emergency-Ready Tech: Ideal for humanitarian missions, disaster relief, and life-saving transport
  • Global Adaptability: Wingless design works in historic cities, modern metropolises, or remote outposts

 

Looking Ahead

Urban Aeronautics is not trying to win the race to be first. They’re building to last—with a hydrogen-powered, rotor-enclosed, space-saving flying car ready to meet the demands of tomorrow’s cities.

As urban mobility evolves, CityHawk could very well be the most city-ready aircraft on Earth—small enough to land in a courtyard, powerful enough to fly above it all.

🔗 Learn more at www.urbanaero.com

 

PhotoCredit: Urban Aeronautics