Research and development to enhance the social acceptance of next-generation rotorcraft

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles based on rotorcraft technologies, including air taxis and unmanned aircraft, are expected to significantly expand the possibilities of aviation. Potential applications include addressing regional mobility challenges, enabling rapid transportation during disasters, and providing new air mobility services.

For AAM to be widely accepted and used with confidence, it is necessary to ensure safety and to develop aircraft and operating environments that reduce noise and environmental impact while improving economic efficiency and convenience. This requires an accurate understanding of aerodynamic, noise, and flight characteristics. The knowledge gained is then applied to the design of high-performance, low-noise aircraft. It is also important to verify the feasibility of newly developed technologies and assess their applicability to actual aircraft.

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  Connecting airports and urban areas (Conceptual illustration)

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  Providing emergency access to disaster-affected areas inaccessible by ground transportation (Conceptual illustration)

Integrated technology development: From performance enhancement to evaluation and demonstration

Drawing on its extensive expertise and technologies in rotorcraft, JAXA is conducting research and development to enhance the social acceptance of AAM. The research program focuses on the following three key areas:

• High-performance and low-noise technologies
• Aircraft characteristics evaluation technologies
• Technology demonstration through system integration

JAXA seeks to gain a detailed understanding of the aerodynamic, noise, and flight characteristics of aircraft, as well as the complex physical phenomena underlying them. The knowledge gained is incorporated into aircraft design, while performance is evaluated through numerical simulations and testing. In addition, a full-aircraft concept model is used to assess the feasibility of the technologies and their applicability to actual aircraft.

By linking these activities and pursuing the technologies required for design, evaluation, and demonstration in an integrated manner, JAXA is building a technological foundation for the practical implementation of AAM. Through these efforts, JAXA aims to contribute to the realization of aircraft with enhanced safety, environmental performance, economic efficiency, and convenience.

Next-generation air mobility concept video

September 10, 2026