Boston – – September 25, 2026 -- MagLev Aero has secured concurrent contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under its Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative (EEI) programs, providing non-dilutive funding to push its propulsion platform to Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6).
DARPA funding targets flight-tested production for defense drones
The MVP award funds a full-scale, flight-relevant propulsion demonstration culminating in a TRL-6 test in an operational environment, aimed at de-risking adoption for airframers and OEMs building autonomous drones and crewed aircraft.
EEI program embeds a business leader to navigate federal acquisition
The EEI award funds the placement of an experienced business leader inside MagLev Aero to help the company navigate federal acquisition frameworks and capture strategic transition opportunities, accelerating its U.S. industrialization and go-to-market strategy.
Rim-driven propulsion architecture cuts power draw while boosting thrust
MagLev Aero's ducted fan architecture, branded MagLev HyperDrive, is engineered to deliver more thrust for less power. The company states the design enables higher speeds, longer operational range, increased payload capacity, and reduced noise signature—capabilities it links to evasive drones, counter-drone systems, and cargo drones operating in contested logistics environments.
CEO ties contracts to U.S. propulsion industrial base build-out
"These dual DARPA contracts represent a major inflection point for MagLev Aero," said Ian Randall, Co-Founder and CEO. He said the company is advancing a domestically manufactured propulsion platform to TRL-6 to meet what he described as an urgent national need for trusted, high-performance U.S. drone technologies.
Company holds 44 issued patents and backing from Breakthrough Energy Ventures
MagLev Aero, based in Boston, is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Material Impact and holds 44 issued patents covering its rim-driven ducted fan architecture. The DARPA awards align with White House "Drone Dominance" priorities and target both defense applications and the commercial advanced air mobility market.