Natilus raises $28 million to advance blended-wing aircraft

San Diego-based aerospace innovator Natilus has raised $28 million in Series A financing, led by Draper Associates with participation from Flexport, Type One Ventures, New Vista Capital, The Veteran Fund, and Wave Function. The funding marks a pivotal milestone in the company’s mission to commercialise a family of hyper-efficient blended-wing aircraft.

The fresh capital will enable Natilus to complete manufacturing of its first full-scale KONA regional cargo plane and advance the programme toward initial flight operations. KONA is designed to deliver step-change efficiency in air cargo and defence logistics, offering reduced operating costs and improved payload capacity compared to conventional tube-and-wing aircraft.

In parallel, Natilus unveiled HORIZON EVO, its evolved 200-passenger blended-wing-body aircraft. Transitioning from the original single-deck design to a dual-deck configuration with passengers on the upper deck and cargo below. HORIZON EVO integrates feedback from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and global airline partners. The redesign enhances passenger safety and experience, introduces windows throughout the cabin, and maintains compatibility with existing airport infrastructure while preserving the efficiency advantages of the blended-wing-body airframe.

In the last 12 months, Natilus has made significant progress on its intellectual property portfolio and national manufacturing efforts. In March last year, it initiated the launch of its first domestic manufacturing site search to produce KONA and in July, it was awarded a patent for KONA's diamond-shaped cargo bay. Natilus’s commercial order book currently exceeds 570 aircraft, with commitments from leading operators including SpiceJet, Nolinor Aviation, Flexport, and Ameriflight. The total value of these reservations stands at approximately $24 billion.

In addition to strong demand from domestic and global carriers, Natilus's optionally-piloted KONA is gaining interest for its potential defence applications. With its 3.8-tonne payload capacity and ability to land on shorter, gravel runways, KONA can provide intra-theatre lift and transport cargo to remote locations more efficiently than ever before. The cargo freighter can support Agile Combat Employment (ACE) and logistics resupply in highly contested and austere regions such as the Indo-Pacific. Natilus has engaged in conversations with the US Army, US Air Force, and the Department of Defense, which see value in KONA.

"The aviation market is ripe for a new aircraft manufacturing entrant," said Tim Draper, Founding Partner of Draper Associates. "Natilus's innovative and technology-driven approach to developing blended wing aircraft has opened the doors for air freight and passenger airlines alike to embrace these new planes."

Natilus has de-risked the technology and expedited widespread commercial adoption by designing its planes to use existing engine technology and include vertical tails for control and stabilisation. It has designed its family of aircraft to be compatible with existing gate operations and airport infrastructure to maintain interoperability.

With a clear path to certification and commercialisation, Natilus is targeting delivery of the KONA freighter later this decade, followed by HORIZON EVO in the early 2030s. Together, these aircraft aim to redefine efficiency in air cargo, defence logistics, and passenger travel, positioning Natilus as a disruptive force in the aviation industry.

Meanwhile, Natilus is actively pursuing FAA Part 23, Amendment 64 certification for KONA and is determining a location for its 250,000 square feet manufacturing site to build 60 KONA per year. The company is on track to deliver the first KONA later this decade and the first HORIZON EVO in the early 2030s.

Recently Natilus also appointed Kory Mathews, a former Boeing executive, to its Board of Directors. At Boeing, Mathews served as vice president of Phantom Works and as vice president and chief engineer of Boeing Military Aircraft, where he led advanced aircraft design initiatives and rapid prototyping programmes. He now brings this expertise, along with his current role as Senior Partner at New Vista Capital, to provide Natilus with valuable OEM and defence industry perspectives.

"We're not just building aircraft. We are reshaping the future of aviation beyond the limitations of the tube-and-wing airframe to fundamentally transform how we transport goods and people," said Aleksey Matyushev, Co-Founder and CEO of Natilus. "With this latest funding and newest personnel additions, we are strongly positioned to bring our family of blended-wing aircraft to market, disrupting the Boeing-Airbus duopoly and bringing much-needed innovation to the aviation industry.

Last year, global logistics giant Kuehne+Nagel announced a partnership to study the environmental, economic, and operational impact of integrating Natilus’s hyper-efficient blended-wing-body aircraft into commercial air logistics operations. In parallel, Canada’s largest commercial charter airline, Nolinor Aviation, revealed its purchase of multiple production slots for Natilus’s regional freight aircraft, KONA.

In December 2025, Natilus entered the Indian market through a partnership with SpiceJet. Natilus India, a subsidiary headquartered in Mumbai, announced its first commercial agreement with SpiceJet, which plans to purchase 100 of Natilus’s flagship passenger aircraft, Horizon.