Vertical Aerospace (EVTL) said Tuesday its latest full-scale prototype aircraft completed its first piloted flight at its testing facility in the UK.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority granted a new permit for the test flight following ground testing and validation, the company said.

This will be the last prototype for the company's flight test fleet before a critical design review that will establish the certifiable blueprint, Vertical Aerospace said.

The company said it intends to modify the aircraft for hybrid-electric testing to support longer range and payload capability for logistics and defense use cases.

Shares of the company were up 3.5% in Tuesday premarket activity.