Redefining VTOL with a patented Gas-Turbine Powered Architecture
pitch_v1_importPortal Aircraft has begun closing the first tranche of a $500k convertible note round led by investors from Cowtown Seed and Innovators Forum. The round is structured in stages and initial allocations are now being filled.
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Won ArmyxTechSearch 9. Only 24 winners out of 840+ Companies\r\nhttps://xtech.army.mil/competition/xtechsearch-9/\r\n
DARPA ERIS Marketplace – Awardable status\r\nPost‑competition solution available for government selection via DARPA Marketplace\r\n
Portal Aircraft Company (PAC) is a Texas-based aerospace startup developing next-generation gas turbine–powered VTOL aircraft for defense and commercial markets. PAC’s patented distributed turbine architecture replaces complex helicopter drivetrains and battery-dependent eVTOL systems with a simplified, fuel-powered design optimized for long endurance, rugged field sustainment, and contested environments. PAC aircraft are designed for missions including contested logistics, long-range ISR, launched effects support, and austere operations where battery-electric systems fail due to range, recharge constraints, and infrastructure dependence. The company has been validated by winning Army xTechSearch 9 (24 winners selected from 840+ applicants), achieving DARPA ERIS “Awardable” status, securing a Phase I SBIR contract, and forming a partnership with Texas A&M University for engineering and manufacturing support. PAC is building scalable turbine-powered VTOL platforms designed to deliver long endurance, field repairability, and mission flexibility at venture scale.
Modern VTOL aircraft fall into two flawed categories: Conventional helicopters – mechanically complex, maintenance-heavy, and expensive to operate Battery-electric eVTOL aircraft – range-limited, infrastructure-dependent, and economically unproven Defense operators and logistics missions increasingly require long-endurance VTOL aircraft capable of operating in austere, contested, and infrastructure-denied environments. Battery-powered systems lack endurance and recharge speed, while helicopters remain costly and mechanically intensive. There is currently no scalable, fuel-powered VTOL platform optimized for long-range operations, simplified sustainment, and additive-manufactured field repairability. Portal Aircraft Company addresses this gap with a turbine-based architecture purpose-built for endurance, ruggedness, and operational flexibility.
• Army xTechSearch 9 Winner (24 selected from 840+ applicants) • Phase I SBIR Contract (U.S. Army) • DARPA ERIS “Awardable” Status • Formal partnership with Texas A&M University • Included in U.S. Army UAS contractor ecosystem planning • Patented distributed turbine VTOL architecture (filed Feb 2025) • Functional flying pneumatic prototype demonstrating core control architecture • Preparing for DARPA LIFT Challenge 2026 • Initial Capital Raise by Cowtown Seed
James Thurman
founder
