Safety, by design.
A new kind of aircraft deserves a new standard of proof. Every Seahorse aircraft earns its way into service through thousands of supervised flight hours, flown by highly trained crews under national oversight.
Designed so one failure is never the end of a flight.
Engine-out VTOL landing
If one engine fails, the aircraft is capable of completing a vertical landing.
Engine-out flight
If one engine fails, the aircraft is capable of continuing to fly on the other.
Distributed lift
Sixteen independently controlled lift rotors spread the load across the airframe instead of relying on one.
Four stages. Each one earned.
Globally, there are no established rules yet for VTOL aircraft of this type. Sri Lanka is writing them: the Technical Evaluation and Licensing Certification Committee (TELCC), led by the Sri Lanka Air Force with the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, governs VTOL aircraft under 2,600 kg and grants approval stage by stage.
Each stage is contingent on successfully completing the one before it.
Prove it on land and water
100 very short demonstration flights (around 5 hours in total) at an agreed coastal site, taking off from and landing on both land and water at low speed. Leads to preliminary non-commercial approval for up to five more aircraft.
Test without passengers
500 hours of supervised, non-commercial test flights in Sri Lanka with no civilian passengers. Leads to limited approval: up to five aircraft for emergency services and short passenger rides of up to 15 minutes at designated locations.
Regular passenger transfers
After 3,000 total flying hours, approval for regular passenger transfers over distances of up to 100 km.
A certified micro-airline
After 5,000 flying hours, full commercial approval as a micro-airline — operating at 1,000–1,500 ft and landing on any suitable terrain: beaches, solid ground, riverbanks and floating platforms.
Conservative from day one.
- Flight rules
- VFR · VMCVisual Flight Rules in Visual Meteorological Conditions during initial phases.
- Hours
- Daylight onlyAll flights restricted to daylight during initial phases.
- Altitude
- 1,000–1,500 ftVery-low-altitude corridors, with temporary exemptions for obstacle clearance.
- Registration
- SLAF flag & micro commercial craftA new generation of Advanced Air Mobility vessel.
- Weight category
- Under 2,600 kgThe VTOL class governed by TELCC.
- Landing zones
- Land & waterVertiports, beaches, riverbanks and floating platforms once fully authorised.
Flown and maintained by professionals.
- Sri Lanka Air Force support for recruiting and deploying the pilot cadre, aeronautical engineers, maintenance technicians and security personnel.
- Vanguard Aerocraft & Services designs the VTOL pilot training programme — ground school, simulator and in-flight instruction specific to the Seahorse craft.
- CAASL-certified engineers — Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and technicians certified to work on the aircraft's specialised systems.
- A dedicated vertiport manager and engineering manager at every vertiport.
Regulated at every level.
Technical Evaluation & Licensing Certification Committee
Supervises flight trials, evaluates performance and grants phased approvals.
Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka
Adopts TELCC rules, enforces airworthiness, licenses crews and issues the Air Operator Certificate.
Marine Environment Protection Authority
Environmental approvals for activity in coastal and maritime zones.
International Civil Aviation Organization
Global operating procedures and standards.