Textron folds eAviation unit, absorbs Pipistrel into main aviation division 

Textron is dissolving its eAviation business unit and moving its electric and hybrid aircraft programs under the company’s other divisions, marking the end of the short-lived segment that once served as Textron’s public face for next-generation flight technology. 

The change, disclosed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2025, will take effect on January 4, 2026, at the start of Textron’s next fiscal year. The move reduces the company’s reporting segments from six to five: Textron Aviation, Bell, Textron Systems, Industrial, and Finance. 

Much of what had been Textron eAviation — including Pipistrel, the Slovenia-based electric aircraft manufacturer Textron acquired in 2022 — will be folded into Textron Aviation. That division already oversees the Cessna and Beechcraft brands and will now take responsibility for Pipistrel’s lineup of light aircraft, including the Velis Electro and Panthera, as well as ongoing research into hybrid and advanced propulsion systems. 

Textron said in its SEC filing that the restructuring will allow Pipistrel and other programs to “leverage the development, manufacturing, and sales expertise” of Textron Aviation, giving them access to established production and customer-support networks. 

Defense-related electric and hybrid projects that had been part of eAviation will move to Textron Systems, the company’s defense and government arm, which develops manned and unmanned aircraft for military customers. The filing said this realignment will provide “more direct access to the targeted customer base” for those technologies. 

Certain engineering programs within eAviation — primarily digital flight control and air vehicle management systems — will shift to the corporate level, where they will support research and development across multiple Textron business units. Those projects include technology acquired through the 2024 purchase of German aerospace engineering firm Amazilia Aerospace. 

Textron formed its eAviation division following the Pipistrel acquisition, positioning the new unit as a hub for sustainable aviation development. The company said at the time that Pipistrel would retain its European identity and continue to design and produce light aircraft while benefiting from Textron’s global resources. 

The division’s launch was seen as a signal that Textron planned to compete in the emerging electric aviation sector alongside companies developing new types of urban air mobility vehicles. It also provided a corporate home for the Nexus eVTOL project, an electric air taxi concept unveiled by Textron subsidiary Bell in 2019. 

Textron’s latest filing did not mention Nexus or provide details about the program’s future. The company had previously slowed work on the four-seat aircraft, which was expected to make its first tethered flight by the end of 2025. 

Textron did not announce any workforce changes related to the restructuring. The company said it will begin reporting under the new segment structure when it files its first-quarter 2026 financial results next spring, and will restate prior-year segment data at that time. 

Textron’s purchase of Pipistrel in 2022 was valued at about $235 million and included the Velis Electro — the world’s first type-certified fully electric aircraft — as well as a range of light piston and hybrid-electric designs. Pipistrel also has been developing unmanned cargo and special-mission aircraft through its Nuuva and Surveyor programs. 

With eAviation now folded into Textron’s broader operations, those programs are expected to continue under a new corporate framework that ties them more directly to Textron’s traditional aircraft manufacturing and defense businesses. The post Textron folds eAviation unit, absorbs Pipistrel into main aviation division  appeared first on AeroTime.

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