# U.S. Air Force awards Natilus $3.5 million for KONA aircraft development

> Funding will support development and testing of the optionally piloted KONA regional freighter.

- Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding
- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Business
- Country: United States
- Published: 2026-10-21T14:40:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-21T14:40:05+00:00
- Event / data period: 2026-10-21
- Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding.md)

Natilus said on 21 October it received $3.5 million in U.S. Air Force research, development, test and evaluation funding for its KONA aircraft. The company said the support is intended to advance the programme toward full-scale flight testing and a Joint Force demonstration.

KONA is being developed as an optionally piloted regional freighter with an 800-nautical-mile range. Natilus also says it is designed to use about 30% less fuel than comparable conventional aircraft; these are company specifications and claims for a programme still in development.

## Data

### Funding amount

Amount announced for research and development funding

Methodology: The $3.5 million amount is the funding announced by Natilus; the release describes it as RDT&E support, not an aircraft purchase price or completed development result.

| label | value | unit | period | basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funding amount | 3.5 | million USD | 2026-10-21 | observed |

Sources: <https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-air-force-awards-natilus-3-5-million-to-advance-dual-use-kona-aircraft-for-contested-logistics-302914671.html> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding/data/reported-measures?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/natilus-us-air-force-3-5-million-kona-development-funding/data/reported-measures?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [Natilus via PR Newswire](<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-air-force-awards-natilus-3-5-million-to-advance-dual-use-kona-aircraft-for-contested-logistics-302914671.html>) (Source checked: 2026-10-21; Published: 2026-10-21)

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