United Airlines Ventures Invests in Aerospace Startup Astro Mechanica

Astro Mechanica's engine design addresses biggest economic challenge associated with supersonic flight: fuel efficiency

Astro Mechanica's technology is first being developed for military use and then commercial aircraft as technology matures – UAV is the venture capital arm of United Airlines

CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines Ventures (UAV), the venture capital arm of United Airlines, today announced an investment in aerospace startup Astro Mechanica. Astro Mechanica's adaptive propulsion concept and advanced airframe design has the potential to unlock supersonic aircraft with near-term applications for national defense, orbital launch, and long-range cargo delivery.

UAV was established in 2021 to invest in early-stage start-up companies focused on innovative technologies with the potential to shape the future of aviation and travel.

"Astro Mechanica is developing an adaptive engine concept for strategic military and commercial applications, addressing the challenging yet worthwhile pursuit of supersonic flight," said Mukul Hariharan, Managing Partner at United Airlines Ventures. "UAV is excited to join Astro Mechanica's renowned investment partners to support its exceptional management team as they advance their engine technology and progress towards their first aircraft prototype."

Astro Mechanica's engine, Duality^™, is being designed to utilize a hybrid electric architecture to optimize performance across a wide range of flight speeds and profiles, which would create an engine that would be efficient from takeoff to Mach 3+. With these changes, Astro Mechanica is developing the world's first supersonic aircraft that has transpacific capability.

"We are excited to form this relationship with United Airlines Ventures (UAV)," said Ian Brooke, CEO and founder of Astro Mechanica. "This investment reflects strong conviction in Astro Mechanica from an experienced and credible industry leader, and we appreciated UAV's deep technical grasp of our novel high-speed propulsion technologies. We look forward to working with them as an advisor and a collaborator as we move into flight testing for the next era of passenger travel."

Duality^™ is designed to separate the propulsion units from the turboshaft engine by using electric motors. This allows it to behave like a turbofan at slower speeds, a turbojet at faster speeds just below supersonic, and switch to a ramjet at very high supersonic speeds.

About United Airlines Ventures

United Airlines Ventures (UAV) was established in 2021 to invest in early-stage start-up companies focused on innovative technologies with the potential to shape the future of aviation and travel. To date, UAV has made more than 30 investments in companies developing technologies across aerospace, technology, energy transition, and more. Learn more at unitedairlinesventures.com.

About Astro Mechanica

Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company building a faster, more connected future. Its mission is to democratize high-speed flight by making supersonic travel flexible, accessible, and sustainable. The company believes that rapid, on-demand, point-to-point global mobility will become the new standard for moving people and goods across the planet. To achieve this, Astro Mechanica is integrating its advanced airframe and engine technologies—which include Duality^™, its proprietary dual-use propulsion system—with a new flight operations model to make supersonic transport as efficient and economical as commercial air travel is today. In the near term, the company is developing adaptable, high-speed systems to close aircraft performance gaps for the United States government. Learn more at www.astromecha.co.

United Airlines Ventures Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Other Important Information

UAV is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Airlines, Inc., whose parent company, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL". This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to, among other things, plans and projections regarding the benefits of the investment. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on historical performance and current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections, which involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, plans, objectives, goals, targets, commitments, strategies, initiatives and intentions to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, any failure to meet stated corporate citizenship goals, targets, commitments, strategies, initiatives and intentions in the time frame expected or at all as a result of many factors, including changing societal, market, competitive, regulatory or stakeholder expectations; any delay or inability of UAV to realize the expected benefits of the investment, including from a delay or failure of any project or technology to be fully developed or become operational or serve the purpose for which it was designed; and the other risks and uncertainties identified in United's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as well as United's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  United undertakes no obligation to update any statement included in this press release, except as otherwise required by applicable law or regulation.

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SOURCE United Airlines Ventures