The milestone demonstrates vertical takeoff, transition to wing-borne flight, and return to vertical flight with Moya Aero’s full-scale eVTOL.
São José dos Campos, Brazil, [October 21st 2026] – Moya Aero has successfully completed a full transition flight with the MOYA 256, marking a major milestone in the development of its autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo drone.
Supported by FINEP, Moya Aero’s robust flight-test campaign has included nearly 200 flights with the MOYA 256 and nearly 500 flights overall, including subscale and special-purpose aircraft. During the transition flight, the full-scale MOYA 256 took off vertically, accelerated through transition into efficient wing-borne flight, and transitioned back to vertical flight for landing.
The transition flight validated the MOYA 256’s propulsion, aerodynamics, and flight-control systems as it moved between vertical and forward flight. By using the same propulsion system in both phases, vertical and horizontal flight, the aircraft preserves payload capacity, operates from compact areas such as a football field, and cruises efficiently without relying on conventional runways.
“Completing the transition with the full-scale MOYA 256 is a major milestone toward operational deployment,” said Alexandre Zaramella, CEO of Moya Aero. “One of the main challenges is the limited studies available for this type of aircraft. This is a new and highly innovative type of aircraft, and we are pioneers worldwide.”
The fully electric, autonomous MOYA 256 is designed for cargo and other unmanned missions including humanitarian and medical deliveries, industrial logistics, e-commerce and agribusiness. It is part of Moya Aero’s cargo-drone family alongside the MOYA 760, which has planned payload capacities of up to 80 kg and 200 kg, respectively. Moya Aero has begun production of a production-conforming MOYA 760 prototype, and 119 letters of intent (LOIs) have validated demand for the company’s solutions.
A new way to fly. By Moya.
About Moya Aero
Moya Aero was established in 2020 through the rebranding of ACS Aviation, a Brazilian aeronautical engineering and aircraft research and development company based in São José dos Campos with two decades of aviation experience. This expertise underpins both the Moya eVTOL, the first high-capacity autonomous vehicle built in Latin America, and Moya’s portfolio of advanced air mobility engineering services.
The Moya team’s experience spans a broad spectrum of the aerospace industry. This knowledge helps the team capitalize on market opportunities with aerial vehicle concepts that address long-standing logistics problems, such as reducing CO₂ emissions, connecting remote regions with vital supplies, improving the efficiency, productivity, and cost of crop management, and connecting businesses with customers faster, cheaper, and more straightforwardly. Seed4Science, Hards, MOA Venture Partners, and Techstars invested in Moya, and FINEP supports our prototype development. Helisul Drones, ProAero, and Certifica Drones are partners.
Our ideas are creative. Our products are transformative.