Maxwell Aircraft from Florida has shown plans for a hybrid amphibian, the M1 Hybrid Cargo, or M1-HC for short. It’s meant to carry 2,000 lb of cargo over 1,000 nautical miles, from water or from rough strips.
The clever part is the powertrain. For take-off and the first part of the climb, electric motors help out and the system can deliver up to 1,500 hp. In cruise it needs only about 300 hp in total, which comes from compression-ignition engines running on Jet A.
The airframe is based on the Gweduck, a composite seaplane that takes its cues from the old Grumman flying boats. Maxwell builds it from carbon fibre and Kevlar, and the cargo version gets a five-foot-wide door.
The first airframes have been built and are heading for final assembly. Flight testing is planned for 2027, but there’s no date yet for certification or deliveries.
Maxwell is aiming at remote communities, island hops, disaster relief and government work: places where a long runway is a luxury but there’s usually water nearby.
Source: AVweb (Matt Ryan), 29 October 2026
Photo (the Gweduck that the M1 is based on): ZLEA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0