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Otto Aerospace Phantom 3500 Business Jet Program Advances With $12.1 Million Jacksonville R&D Facility Permit

Sat, Aug 29, 2026

Otto Aerospace Phantom 3500 Business Jet Program Advances With $12.1 Million Jacksonville R&D Facility Permit

Otto Aerospace has received a $12.1 million construction permit to convert a hangar at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, into a research, development and production facility supporting its Phantom 3500 business jet program.

The permit, issued August 28, covers renovation of Hangar 825, a former U.S. Navy facility most recently occupied by Boeing. The building will support engineering, component production and testing, airframe assembly, maintenance, painting and other work tied to Otto’s flight-test aircraft.

The project forms part of a much larger planned $430 million Otto Aerospace manufacturing operation in Jacksonville. Otto intends to eventually develop more than 600,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space and relocate its headquarters from Texas to Florida.

The company is targeting the Phantom 3500’s first test flight in 2027, with FAA certification and customer deliveries planned for 2030.

The carbon-fiber twin-engine business jet is designed around laminar-flow aerodynamics, with Otto claiming more than 60% lower fuel consumption than conventional business jets. The aircraft is targeting a 3,500-nautical-mile range and 51,000-foot cruise ceiling.

Commercial interest is already substantial: Flexjet placed an order for 300 Phantom 3500 aircraft in 2025.

The Jacksonville permit now moves Otto beyond long-term factory plans and into physical infrastructure supporting development and certification of the new aircraft.

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