Structures and materials for drones and eVTOL

Updated November 3, 2026

Every kilogram saved in the structure is a kilogram available for payload, batteries or fuel. That is why drones and eVTOL aircraft are built mostly from composite materials, and why the suppliers of materials, aerostructures, landing gear, actuators and recovery systems play a central role in their performance and certification.

What this category covers

Area	Role	Subcategory
Materials	Fibers, prepregs, resins and cores	Composite materials
Aerostructures	Fuselages, wings, nacelles, booms	Aerostructures
Landing gear	Ground contact, shock absorption	Landing gear
Linear actuators	Move surfaces, gear and mechanisms	Linear actuators
Rotary actuators and servos	Control surfaces, tilt mechanisms	Rotary actuators
Recovery systems	Emergency parachutes	Parachutes

What to compare

Mass and stiffness for the loads of the aircraft, including crash and fatigue loads.
Qualification and allowables: materials and processes with qualified design values shorten certification.
Manufacturing route: prepreg and autoclave, out-of-autoclave, resin infusion, thermoplastics or additive manufacturing, and their effect on cost and rate.
Environmental resistance: temperature, moisture, UV, lightning and fire behaviour near batteries.
Production capacity for the volumes that eVTOL programmes target.
Design assurance for actuators and other systems that move flight controls.

Frequently asked questions

Why are drones and eVTOL made of composites?

Carbon fiber composites give very high strength and stiffness for their weight, resist fatigue and corrosion, and can be moulded into efficient aerodynamic shapes.

What are design allowables?

Statistically based strength values of a material and process, obtained from extensive testing. Using qualified allowables lets designers size structures with confidence and speeds up certification.

Why do eVTOL aircraft need electromechanical actuators?

Electric aircraft have no hydraulic system, so control surfaces, tilt mechanisms and landing gear are moved by electric actuators, which also suit fly-by-wire control.