Samson Sky Switchblade Flying Car Secures $80M Investment, Eyes 2027 Production Launch
Why It MattersThe deal signals continued investor interest in flying-car development, though the project remains dependent on additional funding and FAA Experimental Amateur-Built rules before reaching customers.
Samson Sky has secured an $80 million investment from Dubai-based Matin Group to advance production of its Switchblade flying car, with the two companies signing a Joint Investment Agreement and beginning to set up a joint venture. The company still needs an additional $20 million to fully fund its current production plan.
The Switchblade is a hybrid-electric vehicle that can be driven on public roads and flown from airports. In the latest design revision, the wings, tail and propeller are fully enclosed inside the vehicle body during driving mode, a change from the earlier prototype that completed its first flight on November 5, 2023. Samson says the transformation from driving mode to flight mode takes approximately three minutes.
Samson targets a maximum airspeed of 190 mph, a cruise speed of 160 mph pending verification during production-prototype flight testing, a maximum flying range of 450 miles, and a maximum road speed of 100 mph. The vehicle uses a gasoline engine powering a generator that supplies electricity to motors for both ground and flight operation, with a 44-gallon fuel capacity running on 91-octane automotive gasoline.
The investment is intended to help establish a 180,000-square-foot U.S. production facility. Samson Sky CEO and founder Sam Bousfield said the company will retain its R&D facility in Prineville, Oregon, and has narrowed the production facility search to three potential locations, with negotiations already underway. Samson plans to use three production prototypes for testing around the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027, with its Builder Assist assembly line targeted to be ready by summer 2027; initial production will prioritize customers holding the earliest delivery positions.
The Switchblade VFR kit is currently estimated to start at $200,000, with the IFR version estimated at $235,000, both subject to change before customer production begins. Because the vehicle is designed to operate under the FAA's Experimental Amateur-Built category, buyers must complete more than 50% of the aircraft's fabrication and assembly themselves, a requirement known as the 51% rule, and Samson's Builder Assist program is intended to guide owners through that process, which the company estimates can be completed in as little as one week. Owners will also need a private pilot certificate to fly the vehicle.
