EASA SC-VTOL amendment, EIC Accelerator Q1 cohort, IMU dual-use thresholds

EASA published SC-VTOL amendment 3 this week, the most substantive update to the special condition since its 2019 introduction. The amendment extends the enhanced category to hybrid-electric configurations above 2,000 kg MTOW, a threshold that previously forced most heavy VTOL concepts into the CS-23 or CS-25 certification tracks regardless of their operational profile. For dual-use VTOL ventures in that weight band, including uncrewed cargo and logistics platforms with defence customers, this reopens a civil certification pathway that had been effectively closed for three years.

The EIC Accelerator Q1 2026 cohort included seven defence and dual-use ventures, with a combined grant and equity component of approximately €42M. Notable selections included two propulsion ventures and one company developing hyperspectral payload integration for small satellites. The EIC has now funded 23 defence-relevant deep-tech ventures since the Accelerator's 2021 relaunch, with a median time from application to grant agreement of 14 months.

The European Commission published updated dual-use export control guidance this week clarifying the performance thresholds that trigger controls on inertial measurement units under Annex I Category 7. The clarification tightens the angular rate threshold from 2.0 deg/hr to 1.5 deg/hr, a change that will affect several MEMS IMU suppliers whose products currently sit just above the old threshold. Founders sourcing navigation components for defence-adjacent applications should confirm their supply chain's classification status before the updated guidance takes effect in May.