Category: Operators

Volansi Partners with USAF on Long-Distance, Heavy Payload VTOL Drone Development

08 July 2020 || 4 min read

Volansi – a designer, manufacturer, and service provider for autonomous VTOL UAVs – has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the United States Air Force (USAF) through the Department of the Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Center of Excellence innovation program. At the United States Air Force’s Agility Prime Virtual Trade Show in...

Volansi Partners with USAF on Long-Distance, Heavy Payload VTOL Drone Development

08 July 2020 || 4 min read

At the United States Air Force’s Agility Prime Virtual Trade Show in May of this year, Volansi unveiled its VOLY M20 UAV – a new generation of dual role aircraft offering customers the ability to simultaneously carry 20 pounds of cargo and a 10 pound ISR or sensor payload. It was designed to meet the exacting requirements of commercial customers operating in remote maritime locations and military customers who require a flexible vehicle for resupply and ISR applications. The VOLY M20 has a 350-mile range, cruising at 75 mph, and more than eight hours of endurance for sensor operations.

The Phase II contract will allow Volansi to demonstrate the innovative capabilities of the long-distance, heavy-payload VOLY M20 VTOL drone.

“The VOLY M20 was designed with modularity and mission flexibility in mind,” Volansi CEO and Co-Founder, Hannan Parvizian said. “The user experience is a key pillar of this design. We incorporated all the feedback we received from our customers on the need for an easy to use, maintain, and operate aircraft that is capable of operating on both land and at sea.”

Made in the USA, the VOLY M20 utilizes a hybrid flight system that combines electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) with a fixed-wing, “pusher”-driven forward flight mode. The VOLY M20 can be configured with the customer’s choice of highly reliable heavy-fuel (JP5/JP8/Kerosene) or gasoline engines. Credit // Volansi

“We are delighted for this SBIR Phase II award and look forward to partnering with the United States Air Force Special Operations Command on this project,” said Hannan Parvizian, CEO and Co-Founder of Volansi. “Our goal is to develop technology that unburdens, equips, and increases the warfighter’s capability to successfully compete and win in any situation. We are proud to continue to contribute to the work that our brothers and sisters are doing within the United States Military.”

In a prior SBIR Phase I award, Volansi’s group 3 VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle, the VOLY C20, was successfully evaluated as an effective tool to enable resupply of the warfighter of tomorrow. Volansi’s UAVs are already in use for commercial cargo delivery projects around the world, and soon-to-begin commercial drone delivery projects launching in the United States this summer.

Why it’s important: The VTOL design of the VOLY M20 enables it to complete complex missions with minimal to zero infrastructure needs. The vehicle’s ability to land at the delivery point and return with cargo such as samples for analysis, diagnosis, or repair makes it a viable and particularly applicable product suited to the needs of the United States Air Force. Backed by the U.S. Military through both the Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards, Volansi appears to have a strong lead on provisioning the next age of aerial mobility for military applications.

Related:

Source // Volansi press release

McKinsey’s Take on Aerial Mobility Pilots: A Niche Talent Pool in Need of Development

08 June 2020 || 5 min read

Consulting Firm McKinsey & Co published their analysis on the transition from piloted to pilotless aerial mobility aircraft on June 2nd, outlining a proposed four phase progression from the current status quo of completely piloted aircraft to completely autonomous aerial mobility operations. The analysis, compiled by Uri Pelli and Partner Robin Riedel, asserted that the development will mature through these...

McKinsey’s Take on Aerial Mobility Pilots: A Niche Talent Pool in Need of Development

08 June 2020 || 5 min read

No automation or human assistance (current capabilities, where computer systems may assist human pilots by reducing workload and providing safety protections)
partial and conditional automation, in which pilots provide some control from the ground but onboard automation systems control the majority of activities
high automation with remote supervised vehicles (one supervisor on the ground monitoring multiple aircraft)
full automation

It was noted that, while these stages appear discrete, they could overlap, or even blend together, as additional developments occur and the integration of piloted/augmented piloted operations of aerial mobility aircraft is more fully developed.

Additionally, the article paired these four development stages with four major headwinds: the challenges of obtaining the pilot population, training them, and then implementing them at scale, with the knowledge that in a certain number of years, by design, they’ll be rendered obsolete.

The first challenge was the sheer cost of pilots. Given realistic assumptions of operating cost for UAM aircraft, adding a pilot could almost double the cost of any given flight.

Secondly, training and pilot sourcing are difficult. The aviation industry was in a massive pilot shortage prior to COVID-19, and McKinsey’s estimates state that once the eventually return to commercial air traffic operations has reached steady state, “suggests the [aerial mobility] industry could require about 60,000 pilots by 2028, roughly 17 percent of the total number of commercial pilots in 2018”. Almost 20% of the pilot workforce, on top of the existing talent pool, is a very large increase in demand across any industry. However, pilots are also an opportunity to leverage experience gained in providing a comfortable atmosphere for commercial air travel; they would serve as ambassadors for the aerial mobility industry through their interactions with customers. In fact, McKinsey’s article leads directly into the hurdle of a completely new customer experience – one that pilots have the ability to help curate to both reassure passengers and allow them to enjoy the convenience and benefits of commercialized aerial mobility transportation.

Last, and the most commonly cited hurdle, is the aircraft design paradigm. While provisions for manual operation and piloting of aerial mobility vehicles will be required for earlier models, at what cost is either retrofitting these aircraft when pilots are no longer required, or operating them with a spare pilots seat, worth when compared to clean sheet designs and integrations that never intended for a pilot to be in the loop? The challenging reality of certification for UAM aircraft at present means that designs must include pilot provisions now, and likely in the future those provisions may be partially deactivated and the pilot’s seat “converted” to a passenger seat to realize the benefit of another revenue generating station onboard. But then, what to do with pilots? The value proposition moving forward is equally as important for pilots in search of a long lasting career. Transitions to remote operations, or fixed wing aircraft piloting, might need to be flowed out to demonstrate the long term benefits of a career that may only involve 10 years of piloting UAM aircraft, per se.

Why it’s important: Due to the autonomous intent of the aerial mobility industry, the interim flight operations solution (pilots required) can be overlooked easily. McKinsey has identified a few of the key challenges for sourcing the talent required to bridge this gap in public acceptance and certification (the technology gap is virtually non-existent for flight path guidance at present). Additionally, once the talent pool of pilots is obtained, there are secondary benefits to having knowledgeable and professional pilots who may be able to serve as ambassadors to aerial mobility.

Source // McKinsey & Co. Article

Thales, Skyports, Wingcopter to Conduct Trial of Drone Based COVID Response Flights

25 May 2020 || 3 min read

UK based drone and aerial mobility operations company Skyports announced in a Tuesday press release that it intends on conducting trial COVID-19 response flights for the National Health Service in Scotland. The partnership will combine resources from Wingcopter for drone delivery, Thales for airspace management using the SOARIZON UTM platform, and Skyports for the operations platform to enable completion of...

Thales, Skyports, Wingcopter to Conduct Trial of Drone Based COVID Response Flights

25 May 2020 || 3 min read

The flights are intended to delivery Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to a variety of remote medical facilities that normally require up to 6 hours of time to be reached via conventional ground methods. Utilization of the drone based delivery operation is reportedly able to cut delivery times from over 6 hours to a mere 15 minutes on an on-demand basis.

Wingcopter autonomous drone with PPE payload pod. Image // Skyports

Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, described the potential future applications if such a partnership and operations scheme were to become permanent: “Delivery drones are a fast and reliable solution for vital medical supplies. Skyports is proud to assist the NHS in Scotland with their COVID-19 response, helping to provide the essential healthcare that people need in harder-to-reach areas. Our trial in Argyll and Bute provides an important short-term response to the current pandemic and lays the foundations from which to grow a permanent drone delivery operation across a network of healthcare facilities around the country.”

The trial flights are backed by the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), which is a combined partnership between NHS Highland and Argyll and Bute Council. This partnership aims to analyze and confirm the feasibility of transport of delivering urgent medical cargo via drone. The trial will last for two weeks.

Thales CEO, Alex Cresswell, stated that “This trial demonstrates the positive role that unmanned technology can play in our society and represents a landmark step to accelerate its adoption. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with industry partners, regulators and government to establish the UK as a world leader in this exciting new industry.”

Why it’s important: The announcement of this partnership indicates the continuing progress and foundation being laid for future aerial mobility commercial operations. The required coordination to successfully host multiple on-demand, time critical deliveries of PPE and medical supplies, in concert with aviation regulatory agencies, medical institutions, and airspace management and drone hardware companies provides valuable data and operational references for future complex aerial mobility operations. A successful trial period will reinforce the approach that Thales, Wingcopter, Skyports, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority are all working towards operationalizing.

Source // Skyports Press Release

BLADE Announces Charters at Operating Cost for those affected by COVID-19

17 March 2020 || 3 min read

BLADE Urban Air Mobility recently announced that they will be extending their jet charter services to customers at operating cost to support those needing urgent on demand transportation from affected areas. From a BLADE press release: “Given the unprecedented level of uncertainty regarding commercial flight travel restrictions, mandatory health screenings for international commercial arrivals (with hours-long waits), and seemingly random...

BLADE Announces Charters at Operating Cost for those affected by COVID-19

17 March 2020 || 3 min read

From a BLADE press release: “Given the unprecedented level of uncertainty regarding commercial flight travel restrictions, mandatory health screenings for international commercial arrivals (with hours-long waits), and seemingly random decisions regarding quarantines, many of our fliers are eager to transport family, friends, and colleagues home via private air travel.”

A typical aircraft coordinated by BLADE UAM, operated by JFI Jets. Image // Elite Daily

BLADE furthered the statement by outlining that they have been coordinating with federal authorities, full-time state and local government advisors, and operator partners to help customers navigate the confusion regarding current, planned, and in-process restrictions and processes that remain critical to making informed judgments regarding private air travel at this time.

The key announcement: In an effort to best assist our community, BLADE is now providing charter availability for our entire accessible fleet of long-range jets at operating cost to anyone in need of transportation from an international location back to the United States.

Additionally, given the shortage of available aircraft, and in an effort to help as many travelers as possible, BLADE encouraged that these flights be shared, either through coordination by BLADE or by fliers themselves, assuming travelers had taken necessary precautions to ensure that they were not infected.

Why it’s important: BLADE’s reduction in cost for charters and on-demand transportation services has allowed customers access to international travel when they may not be able to access via any other means due to restrictions placed on commercial airlines. Regardless, those who are in greatest need of traveling for urgent situations, or attempting to return home to their families, still have the opportunity to do so. This announcement also falls in concert with the larger direction of the commercial airline industry being hit incredibly hard by the COVID-19 outbreaks, causing reductions in carrying capacity, crew leaves of absence, and extensive delays, cancellations, and rescheduling of airfares.

Simon Briceno Joins Jaunt Air Mobility

01 March 2020 || 3 min read

Simon Briceno Joins Jaunt Air Mobility

01 March 2020 || 3 min read

Dr. Simon Briceno joins the aerial mobility startup, Jaunt Air Mobility, as their lead in UAM development, and will head Jaunt’s operational initiatives with Uber Elevate and their network of aerospace and infrastructure partners, according to a Jaunt press release. “The addition of Dr. Briceno to the Jaunt Air Mobility team is further validation of Jaunt’s leadership position in Urban Air Mobility.” said Kaydon Stanzione CEO of Jaunt Air Mobility, “With his years of aviation research experience at the highest levels and his depth of knowledge in transformative flight and Urban Air Mobility, Dr. Briceno is an important addition to the Jaunt team.”

Dr. Briceno previously worked eight years as Transformative Aviation Concepts Division Chief at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology. After receiving his BSME from Syracuse University and his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, he spent 12 years as a Senior Research Engineer at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at Georgia Tech and 8 years as Transformative Aviation Concepts Division Chief at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Briceno has conducted several landmark Urban Air Mobility studies and has authored over 70 technical papers concerning the study of air mobility operations conceptual design, autonomous systems, and aviation safety and certification. His specialization is in the development of advanced design methods to assess electric vehicle technologies in emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aviation markets and developing methods for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) autonomous path planning. He is also an active pilot.

According to Dr. Briceno, “I elected to join Jaunt Air Mobility because they are not only developing the safest, quietest and most operationally efficient, all-electric VTOL aircraft for the UAM mission, but their focus includes developing the complete Urban Air Mobility eco-system. This allows me to apply my years of experience and research directly to Jaunt’s business model.”

Why it’s important: Dr. Briceno brings a wealth of experience and research knowledge to Jaunt Air Mobility, and will greatly aid Jaunt’s goal of implementing a full aerial mobility ecosystem. With this addition, Jaunt Air Mobility looks to be one of the most promising companies that will offer such a service.

Source // Jaunt Air Mobility press release

EHang Implements Air Transport to Aid Coronavirus Medical Emergencies

26 February 2020 || 4 min read

EHang Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: EH) has announced new progress in implementing real-world Urban Air Mobility (UAM) applications for medical emergency transport uses to combat the coronavirus outbreak in China. Related: EHang’s IPO Results in $662 Million Valuation In recent exercises for the prevention and control of coronavirus epidemic organized by the local authorities of Hezhou city in Guangxi province, EHang 216, the two-seat passenger-grade AAV...

EHang Implements Air Transport to Aid Coronavirus Medical Emergencies

26 February 2020 || 4 min read

In recent exercises for the prevention and control of coronavirus epidemic organized by the local authorities of Hezhou city in Guangxi province, EHang 216, the two-seat passenger-grade AAV successfully transported medical supplies from Hezhou Square to the Hezhou People’s Hospital, which is 4 kilometers apart, by accurately landing on a 25-story rooftop of the hospital.

The EHang 216 AAV autonomously returned following the delivery. The 8-kilometer round-trip flight operation was unmanned which is critical in current epidemic situation. This has opened up a new opportunity for EHang’s AAVs in immediate UAM applications such as medical emergency transport, which currently largely relies on ambulance cars or helicopters.

More importantly, designed as a passenger-grade AAV, EHang 216 can not only transport medical supplies, but also transport personnel in emergency situations. Edward Xu, EHang’s Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), took a 4-kilometer autonomous flight from the city center and landed safely on the rooftop of the hospital (picture below) in one of the series of urban passenger-carrying flights to test run this use case in Hezhou, including the flights at nights, with the range covering the whole city (over 15 kilometers) and at a cruising speed as high as 90 kilometers per hour.

EHang 216 preparing to land with CSO Edward Xu aboard, proving its ability to assist in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Credit // EHang

“Personally, I’m proud to be one of the passengers to take the initial autonomous flights for medical emergency transport, and enjoyed the safe, fast and smooth journey. In urban emergency situation, this enables people or goods to be transported efficiently across the city in nearly straight-line routes. More importantly, as a passenger, I was free to enjoy my tea and urban scenery during the whole flight as everything was automatically piloted,” said Edward. “Such successful flights have demonstrated EHang’s capabilities in delivering safe and high quality AAVs to meet mission-critical demands in real life. We will continue to implement more UAM applications.”

Why it’s important: From surveillance to medical supply deliveries, China has deployed many cutting edge technologies in support of the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. EHang has proven the ability of its 216 eVTOL to support in these critical circumstances, and is not the first demonstration of aerial mobility technology being used in real-world medical support applications. An increase in the variety of successful executions of urban air mobility technology continues to advance the mobility industry and expand what many have thought possible for the utility of these vehicles.

USAF Agility Prime Solicitation Kicks Off Tomorrow

24 February 2020 || 4 min read

The United States Air Force plans to release a solicitation for its Agility Prime program: an exchange of government resources in exchange for knowledge transfer, aerial demonstration flights, and potential buyouts of various aerial mobility companies that elect to participate. The Agility Prime program is the flagship eVTOL program for the USAF, as an increasing number of military organizations across...

USAF Agility Prime Solicitation Kicks Off Tomorrow

24 February 2020 || 4 min read

The Agility Prime program is the flagship eVTOL program for the USAF, as an increasing number of military organizations across the world become more and more interested in applications of aerial mobility technology as supplemental (and eventually in replacement of) current mobility offerings for both manned and unmanned missions.

USAF Acquisition Chief, Dr. Will Roper, told reporters of the Prime Project: “It’s going to be a challenge-based acquisition plan, so we’ll have different durations of flight and payloads that have to be carried. And if you pass the hurdle then you’ll move further down the wickets of getting safety certified by the Air Force and moving on to a procurement contract.”

Dr. Roper also added that the intent of the project was to identify candidates that can conduct repeatable and regular flights of their eVTOL designs “in 2020” meaning that companies searching for seed funding, or that were earlier on the in preliminary design phases wouldn’t be ideally suited for Agility Prime.

Avionics International reports on the specific requirements the USAF has established for participating aircraft: “Aircraft applying to participate must make their first full-scale flight prior to December 17, 2020, and be capable of carrying 3-8 personnel greater than 100 miles at speeds exceeding 100 mph, with an endurance over 60 minutes — capabilities that very few currently-flying eVTOLs claim to have.”

Additionally, Agility Prime serves as an early certification pathway for many aerial mobility companies, which could potentially aid in speeding the certification process for civilian flight operations – a commonly cited hurdle in successful deployment of commercial air taxi operations. Economic validations will be conducted on the following five topics (and these criteria will be evaluated against the claim of aerial mobility becoming a more efficient means of transport than any existing medium today)”

Lower maintenance cost due to simplified mechanical design
Improved safety and declining personnel demands, using autonomy
Affordable quantity, based on potential mass production
Improved acoustics, employing distributed propulsion
Greater flexibility and reduced infrastructure needs, with runway independence

Why it’s important: The Agility Prime program represents a large commitment from the USAF to be at the forefront of aerial mobility technology, while also serving as a method of benefit for existing eVTOL manufacturers. The offering of test ranges and Air Force certification processes represents one fo the largest tangible commitments by a large government agency to advance the aerial mobility industry to date. While the USAF’s funding is unconfirmed, reports from various independent news outlets state that the USAF has achieved the necessary funding to commence its solicitation.

Volocopter Extends Series C funding to €87 million with DB Schenker’s Investment

23 February 2020 || 3 min read

Volocopter and DB Schenker announced an investment by the global logistics service provider into the aerial mobility startup as Volocopter extends its Series C funding to now a total of €87 million. Volocopter’s Series C funding now includes DB Schenker, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, MS&AD Ventures, and TransLink Capital (Japan Airlines and Sompo Japan Insurance), Lukasz Gadowski and btov also...

Volocopter Extends Series C funding to €87 million with DB Schenker’s Investment

23 February 2020 || 3 min read

Volocopter’s Series C funding now includes DB Schenker, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, MS&AD Ventures, and TransLink Capital (Japan Airlines and Sompo Japan Insurance), Lukasz Gadowski and btov also invested. The funding is most likely aimed at the certification for Volocopter’s project: VoloCity, as well as funding a second-generation VoloDrone and hiring more industry experts. As of now, Volocopter’s total funding is at €122 million.

VoloCity is Volocopter’s autonomous electrical VTOL aircraft project where they plan to offer air taxi services across metropolitan areas across the world. Recently, Volocopter completed a public flight over the Marina Bay Reservoir in Singapore. “We are convinced that the Volocopter technology has the potential to bring transport logistics to the next dimension for our customers”, says Jochen Thewes, CEO of DB Schenker. “DB Schenker has already tested autonomous and electrical vehicles in several innovation projects and in actual operations. By integrating the VoloDrone into our supply chain of the future, we will be able to serve our clients’ demand for fast, remote, emission-neutral deliveries. We are thrilled to now be part of this drive for innovation in a fantastic team.”

According to Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter, “The new shareholder structure strengthens our global network of strategic and financial partners significantly. Bringing urban air mobility to life for passengers and goods is a great ambition and with our new partners, we bring the expertise and necessary long-term funds on board to make this innovative form of mobility a reality.” Volocopter also recently appointed Yifan “Frank” Li, Vice President of Geely Holding Group Co, Ltd., and Jochen Thewes, CEO of DB Schenker, as new additions to its Advisory Board.

Why it’s important: Volocopter continues to secure their future development as their Series C funding round now finishes at €87 million. The company remains one of the most promising aerial mobility startups in the industry, and comes closer to offering their products and services within the decade.

Source // American Journal of Transportation

Volocopter and Grab conduct air-taxi feasibility study in Southeast Asia

19 February 2020 || 4 min read

From Volocopter Press Release German Urban Air Mobility company Volocopter (Bruchsal) and Southeast Asia’s super app Grab (Singapore) announced that they will conduct a joint feasibility study on urban air mobility as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the prospect of urban air mobility solutions in the region’s megacities. The feasibility study will look into the most...

Volocopter and Grab conduct air-taxi feasibility study in Southeast Asia

19 February 2020 || 4 min read

From Volocopter Press Release

German Urban Air Mobility company Volocopter (Bruchsal) and Southeast Asia’s super app Grab (Singapore) announced that they will conduct a joint feasibility study on urban air mobility as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the prospect of urban air mobility solutions in the region’s megacities.

Image // Volocopter, in Singapore

The feasibility study will look into the most suitable cities and routes to deploy air taxis in Southeast Asian cities; evaluate the best use cases for air taxis, and explore the possibility of joint flight tests, among other things.

The findings will lay the groundwork for potential future cooperation between both companies which could include launching services related to urban air mobility. Both companies aim to help solve mobility issues and improve the quality of life through technological innovations.

Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter: “This cooperation is another important step towards the commercialization of Urban Air Mobility in one of the most traffic congested regions of the world. Together, we will learn from unprecedented insights into the economic and societal opportunity of launching our services on the hottest routes in the Southeast Asian Market. This collaboration also offers the potential for a much larger cooperation which could eventually extend intermodal mobility to the skies.”

Volocopter has been pioneering the development of urban air mobility since the company proved in 2011 that electrically powered vertical flight is indeed possible for humans. With flights in Dubai, Las Vegas, Helsinki, Stuttgart, and most recently Singapore, the technology is maturing towards certification quickly. For the flight over Singapore’s Marina Bay, the company worked closely with the local Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). Recently, Volocopter has been certified as a Design Organisation by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and works in close collaboration with them to receive the necessary permits to start commercial operations.

Chris Yeo, Head of Grab Ventures, said: “As a superapp that operates across 339 cities in Southeast Asia, Grab has gathered traffic patterns and customer insights in the region that can help our teams come up with the most innovative mobility solutions to plug the gaps in the transport landscape. This partnership will enable Volocopter to further develop urban air mobility solutions that are relevant for Southeast Asian commuters so they can decide on their preferred journey option based on their budgets, time constraints and other needs, in a seamless way.”

Why it’s important: This partnership is hugely important for both Grab and Volocopter since the TAM in Singapore and southeast Asia for aerial mobility applications is quite large – and the pace of aerial mobility technology development in those areas is extremely quick as well. Volocopter’s continued efforts to expand their global reach and become a commonly-known air taxi and mobility company (for now in the realm of the aerial mobility industry, at least) is furthered by the announcement of this MOU.

Auterion and Quantum-Systems Partner on VTOL sUAS

16 February 2020 || 4 min read

Auterion Government Solutions Inc (AGS Inc) and Quantum-Systems GmbH announced that they have partnered to bring The Vector and Scorpion small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) to the U.S. Government Defense and Security markets. Combining Auterion OS, a secure, scalable, open-source, operating system, with Quantum-Systems hardware, the partners plan to provide a useful “ a 2-in-1 system kit” for the US...

Auterion and Quantum-Systems Partner on VTOL sUAS

16 February 2020 || 4 min read

The Vector and Scorpion form a unique 2-in-1 system kit. Scorpion is a tri-copter that can be utilized for dynamic urban environments that require a combination of maneuverability and hover to collect ISR and Situation Awareness information. Vector is of similar design to the Scorpion, except configured at the base fuselage with fixed wings and tail section, designed as an energy-efficient, fixed-wing VTOL for longer range, longer endurance ISR missions. With this partnership, both systems will be integrated with Auterion Enterprise PX4 software, Auterion Ground Station™ software, and the Auterion Hand-Held Ground Control Station (H-GCS), forming an open ecosystem that aligns with the DoD’s Group 1 UAS Architecture and requirements for a common Group 1 control system.

David Sharpin, CEO of AGS Inc said, “We are excited to be working with Quantum-Systems to bring forth a new, integrated, rucksack portable sUAS that we feel will transform the way our customers collect, process and disseminate ISR and Situation Awareness information, in all environments. AGS Inc and Quantum-Systems are standing up manufacturing operations in the US and are utilizing assured subsystems and software to provide a secure solution offering for our customers.”

Florian Seibel, CEO of Quantum-Systems said, “Teaming up with AGS Inc will change the market in many ways. AGS Inc is a key partner in the development and deployment of DoD’s Group 1 UAS Architecture. Together with our new tactical platforms Vector and Scorpion, this will meet the requirements and needs of the U.S. Government Defense and Security markets. We will enable our global customers to either run our proprietary stack or be integrated with AGS Inc’s enterprise software and H-GCS from now on. By setting up a US entity, Quantum-Systems will move closer to the customer while working on setting up a large scale US production.”

Learn more about AGS Inc here.

Learn more about Quantum-Systems here.

Why it’s important: While AGS Inc and Quantum-Systems’ work isn’t directly linked to the aerial mobility market, having their work added to the US Defense and Security markets lends credence to the possibility that a variation of these systems could be integrated in the near future for commercial UAS aircraft as well.

Source // UAS Weekly

Singapore to Develop Aerial Mobility Service with Airbus

12 February 2020 || 4 min read

Singapore and Airbus have secured a deal to lay the foundations for potential services with both passenger and larger cargo carrying air vehicles throughout Singapore. The island-nation-state’s plan to improve regional connectivity builds on an earlier agreement established in 2016 between Airbus and Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) for proof-of-concept trials of a cargo-carrying Skyways unmanned air system. Under the memorandum of...

Singapore to Develop Aerial Mobility Service with Airbus

12 February 2020 || 4 min read

Under the memorandum of understanding, Airbus and CAAS will develop an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system to support the early phase of the air mobility service. The two will also collaborate on developing a framework for safety and operating standards as well as study issues such as public acceptance. The framework will be based upon many of the learnings that have come out of Airbus’s Skyway program, which studied the ability to pre-program safe aerial routes for autonomous drones to execute short-range parcel deliveries.

According to Jean-Brice Dumont, executive vice president of engineering for Airbus, “Skyways was a laboratory for UAM at a smaller scale. Now we need to go the extra mile, so with this agreement we are doing that. There are still questions of the business case and technology. In terms of business, we can see an appetite in the market, even though it’s a niche right now for more emergency needs where time is of the essence or where its value-added, like shore-to-ship deliveries.”

Volocopter Air Taxi Makes First Urban Manned Flight in Singapore

Technology studies will focus on traffic management as well as “the overall system, guarantees, performance, safety and cost,” says Dumont. “We are flying with a couple of vehicles and in that sense, we are already there. But when you are flying with 20 or 100 vehicles at the same time along given routes then you are defining a system and that’s what we are doing with UTM.” The vehicles that Airbus plans to implement in this program will likely be similar to what has already been developed and tested by the manufacturer. Just last month, the CityAirbus made its first untethered flight in Donauwörth, Germany, and the Vahana wrapped up its flight testing Pendleton Airport in Oregon.

Airbus Vahana amidst a test flight at Pendleton Airport in Oregon, USA. Credit // Airbus

This memorandum of understanding between Singapore and Airbus mirrors a similar agreement between Bell, Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corp. to explore on-demand air mobility services in Japan. The partnership was announced just days prior, and centers on the use of the recently unveiled Nexus 4EX eVTOL, which plans to address air mobility studies as well as the required infrastructure and regulatory environment.

Why it’s important: Top urban air vehicle manufacturers are beginning to seek opportunities around the globe to stand up small-scale implementations of their technologies in a realistic environment. These applications and opportunities are signaling the increased readiness of the vehicles to be tested in a realistic environment in which the services can eventually be scaled to fulfill commercial passenger transportation needs. Incremental steps in these introductory applications are the key to proving the safety of the technology and garnering the required public acceptance in order to eventually make aerial mobility widespread.

Source // Aviation Week

What new Breeze Airlines has to do with Aerial Mobility

11 February 2020 || 5 min read

What could today’s air carriers tell us about future aerial mobility operations? Recently founded Breeze airways serves as a case study for the operational framework that aerial mobility operations intend on capitalizing upon in order to connect the most people through disruptive transportation methods. David Neeleman, who founded JetBlue over 20 years ago, announced plans to start Breeze airlines, his...

What new Breeze Airlines has to do with Aerial Mobility

11 February 2020 || 5 min read

David Neeleman, who founded JetBlue over 20 years ago, announced plans to start Breeze airlines, his fifth airline startup, earlier this week. Neeleman has previously launched Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue and Azul. Breeze will be a Utah-based carrier, and Neeleman has stated that his flights intend to serve underserved and unappreciated city pairs using primarily A220 and E195 aircraft.

According to The Chicago Tribune, Neeleman’s approach is to “prioritize a customer-centric system by taking methods from Uber and Amazon and launching an app-based toolkit that would allow passengers to find tickets, change or update travel plans, and add other travel necessities such as car rentals and accommodations”.

Image // USA Today

This approach, and the larger approach from Breeze to operate underserved city pairs with more efficient commercial-sized aircraft, reflect the general sentiment of the economics of the aerial mobility industry – create a point to point nodal network of operations, in lieu of a hub and spoke model – to realize the largest benefits for reduction of connecting flights (in airline speak) or additional car or bike/scooter trips (in aerial mobility speak).

While this comparison is far from direct, it helps to emphasize the high level direction of the commercial airline industry, and underscore the acknowledgment of executive leadership in commercial aviation operations to start to shift their mindsets.

Neeleman also commented on the ease and customer experience with aptly named Breeze: “The goal is to have our customers … never having to speak with anybody, if they don’t want to,” Neeleman said. “Add a car, add a hotel, cancel a flight, make changes, it will all be there at your fingertips. Completely hassle-free flying.” This sort of approach is exactly that of BLADE UAM and other on-demand aerial mobility companies that intend on users being able to book an entire trip through an app in a matter of minutes.

Regarding flight operations, Breeze Aviation is also shifting towards aircraft that perform exceptionally well on a nodal, small to medium size passenger base route: 30 Embraer 195 aircraft from Azul are leased that are expected to start flights in May, and Neeleman has ordered 60 new Airbus 220-300 aircraft that are expected to start flights in April 2021, company officials said.

The Airbus A220, currently being operated by Delta Airlines in The States, is performing exceptionally well on medium-haul routes, leveraging recent avionics, propulsion, and customer and cabin experience technologies that gain widespread passenger approval. The E195, part of the Embraer E-Jets family, is a top performer on routes that are slightly shorter than that of the A220.

According to Neeleman, Breeze could earn more than $1 million in tax rebates on plans to make over $3 million in capital investments and hire about 370 employees.

Why it’s important: While Breeze Airways is a new short to medium haul airline, the goals that Neeleman has emphasized with regards to customer experience in booking through travel lifecycle, paired with the focus on nodal transport networks and newer, fuel efficient commercial aircraft represent a paradigm shift that many larger carriers will inevitably adopt over the coming years. The airline industry is a difficult one to navigate – and Breeze’s pathway towards profitability will likely serve as a good barometer for larger cultural shifts in the aviation industry in years to come. Aerial mobility has already adopted (and may be argued is a pioneer of) the approach that Breeze Airways is taking towards transportation.

UPS, Matternet Launch Drone Transport Program with UC San Diego Health

05 February 2020 || 5 min read

According to the University of California San Diego, the drone service is slated to begin in February 2020, with goals of enhancing efficacy, reliability, and predictability of delivering medical products between hospitals and laboratories. This month, UC San Diego Health will launch a pilot project to test the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to transport medical samples, supplies and documents...

UPS, Matternet Launch Drone Transport Program with UC San Diego Health

05 February 2020 || 5 min read

Credit // Matternet

This month, UC San Diego Health will launch a pilot project to test the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to transport medical samples, supplies and documents between Jacobs Medical Center and Moores Cancer Center and the Center for Advanced Laboratory Medicine (CALM), speeding delivery of services and patient care currently managed through ground transport.

The program is a collaboration with UPS, which received in September 2019 the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Part 135 Standard certification and authorization to use unmanned aircraft systems for a drone delivery program, and Matternet, a Mountain View, California-based drone systems developer for health care institutions. This latest effort builds upon the UPS and Matternet drone project already taking place at WakeMed Health and Hospitals, a private, non-profit health care system based in Raleigh, N.C.

The drones will transport medical samples, such as blood draws, and documents between clinical sites and laboratories, reducing the time necessary for testing, analyses and diagnoses. Currently, such materials are transported by ground courier. Credit // UCSD News Center

“Currently, medical samples that must be transported between health care sites are carried by courier cars, which are naturally subject to the variabilities of traffic and other ground issues,” said Matthew Jenusaitis, chief administrative officer for innovation and transformation at UC San Diego Health. “With drones, we want to demonstrate proof-of-concept for getting vital samples where they need to be for testing or assessment more quickly and simply. It’s another way to leverage emerging technologies in a way that can tangibly benefit our patients.”

The project calls for medical professionals at Jacobs Medical Center, located on the east health campus of UC San Diego in La Jolla, to pack payloads, such as blood samples or documents, into a secure container that attaches to one of Matternet’s M2 rechargeable battery-powered drones.

The drones will follow predetermined, low-risk flight paths, initially between Jacobs Medical Center and special landing sites at Moores Cancer Center, located less than a mile away and within visual line of sight under the FAA’s Part 107 rules, and then subsequently at CALM, which is near the Jacobs Medical Center. The flights will take only minutes to complete and will be monitored by remote operators. The drones will carry no cameras.

The pilot project at UC San Diego Health is in collaboration with UPS and Matternet, a drone systems developer. Credit // UCSD News Center

“Right now, most biological samples must travel between sites by courier car, within designated hours,” said James Killeen, MD, clinical professor of emergency medicine and director of information technology services at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “That leaves the system vulnerable to the vagaries of road congestion, accidents, construction and more. Travel time can be slow and unpredictable. A drone can fly over such obstacles in a much more direct way, and take just a few minutes to cover the same distance.”

Why it’s important: In May 2018, the FAA designated the city of San Diego as one of nine lead participants in the regulators’ Integration Pilot Program. UC San Diego was also approved by the FAA to test the use of drones in transporting lab specimens and pharmaceuticals throughout its health system. This partnership reinforces the strong trajectory of UPS and other logistics companies following the company’s milestone of becoming a full Part-135 FAA-certified drone airline.

Source // UCSD News Center

Toyota-Backed Joby Aviation Raised $590 Million in Series C Funding

15 January 2020 || 4 min read

With ten years of research and development experience, Joby Aviation has become a leader in the development of eVTOL aircraft which combine elements of helicopters and small airplanes, offering benefits that include high reliability, zero emissions, fast flight speeds and quiet operations. The company is developing an aircraft that offers lower operating costs and lower costs of maintenance, while enhancing reliability...

Toyota-Backed Joby Aviation Raised $590 Million in Series C Funding

15 January 2020 || 4 min read

Joby Aviation’s aircraft prototype

Joby Aviation’s aircraft is a piloted, five-seat vehicle capable of both vertical takeoff and landing and highly efficient, wingborne forward flight. It is capable of speeds of 200 miles per hour and can fly over 150 miles on a single charge. The aircraft is 100 times quieter than conventional aircraft during takeoff and landing, and near-silent when flying overhead. The passenger experience is optimized for comfortable ride-sharing operations and efficient entry and exit.

Joby just announced that it has closed its Series C funding round with a total of $590 million in financing. Toyota demonstrated its commitment to providing “Mobility for All” by contributing $394 million of the total. In addition to Toyota’s large investment in Joby, the transforming automotive manufacturer will share its expertise in manufacturing, quality and cost controls for the development and production of Joby Aviation’s breakthrough eVTOL aircraft. Joby’s design is well matched to serve the needs of an emerging air transportation market where commuters and travelers embrace the benefits of aviation on a daily basis within and between urban centers. More details of the prototype aircraft and production plans will be announced at a later date.

Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said: “This collaboration with Toyota represents an unprecedented commitment of money and resources for us, and for this new industry, from one of the world’s leading automakers. Toyota is known globally for the quality and reliability of their products driven by meticulous attention to detail and manufacturing processes. I am excited to harness Toyota’s engineering and manufacturing prowess to drive us toward our dream of helping a billion people save an hour+ commuting time every day.”

Credit // Joby Aviation

“Air transportation has been a long-term goal for Toyota, and while we continue our work in the automobile business, this agreement sets our sights to the sky,” said Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda. “As we take up the challenge of air transportation together with Joby, an innovator in the emerging eVTOL space, we tap the potential to revolutionize future transportation and life. Through this new and exciting endeavor, we hope to deliver freedom of movement and enjoyment to customers everywhere, on land, and now, in the sky.”

Why it’s important: The collaboration between Joby and Toyota reflects Toyota’s recognition of the long-term potential of the urban air mobility market to meet the evolving needs of society, as well as Joby’s position as an industry leader in working to deliver safe and affordable air travel to everyone. Both companies believe that leveraging synergies with the automobile technologies as well as integrating best practices from the Toyota Production System will help facilitate the efficient mass production of these aircraft, while also helping Joby deliver high quality, durable and reliable aircraft, and meeting exacting safety standards.

Source // Joby Aviation

New eVTOL Visual Flight Control Hardware To Be Developed by Daedalean and Honeywell

13 January 2020 || 4 min read

New eVTOL Visual Flight Control Hardware To Be Developed by Daedalean and Honeywell

13 January 2020 || 4 min read

Swiss startup Daedalean, a developer of software for autonomous flight control, vision-based navigation, terrain guidance and landing, and Honeywell, a leader in the aerospace industry for avionics hardware, have announced that they have entered into a join technological and financial partnership. This partnerships facilitates cooperation between the two companies as they endeavor to develop fully autonomous AI pilots for general aviation and aerial mobility operations. While AI pilots are the ultimate goal for these two companies, their current hardware solution bridges the gap between fully crewed and complete autonomous flight decks.

The partnership is two-pronged: Honeywell Ventures has joined the Swiss startup’s pool of investors (terms and quantity of investment still unknown) and Honeywell and Daedalean plan to engage in joint testing and technological partnership to develop solutions for autonomous takeoff, landing and GPS-independent navigation and collision avoidance for GA aircraft and aerial mobility aircraft as well.

Luuk van Dijk, founder and CEO of Daedalean, stated that “Developing flight control software requires lots of flight data. That’s why the collaboration with prominent industry partners such as Honeywell is critical for us to speed up the development of our technology. We are preparing for the joint flights testing our solutions for various types of aircraft, and excited to carry out trials on the planes we haven’t tried before.”

This partnership aims to effectively solve the flight controls hurdles that must be overcome in order for the aerial mobility industry to become successful on larger commercial scales than the current charter helicopter industries.

It’s reported that Honeywell’s hardware package is roughly the size of a paperback book.

The Vertical Aerospace Seraph, powered in part by Honeywell’s flight control systems.

Daedalean is a Swiss company that has expertise in robotics, computer vision and machine learning. Daedalean intends on using those innovations to advance the flight control methodology and systems architecture for both general aviation and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The key development and IP of this partnership is a flight control systems’ ability to process visual images, similar to human-like situational awareness, which could theoretically simplify pilot operations greatly and allow pilots to focus on the most mission critical decision and Aeronautical Decision making tasks that are required of professional pilots.

Why it’s important: This collaboration leverages the considerable resources of Honeywell and the technical expertise of a niché company like Daedalean. The approach of hybridizing current crewed operations for flight with the ultimate goal of fully autonomous operations will become increasingly popular in the coming years as the aerospace industry finds a medium between a massive operation leap and smaller steps towards an ultimate goal of redefining the typical methods for manned flight operations.

Source // Inside Unmanned Systems

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Volansi Partners with USAF on Long-Distance, Heavy Payload VTOL Drone Development

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Volocopter Extends Series C funding to €87 million with DB Schenker’s Investment

Volocopter Extends Series C funding to €87 million with DB Schenker’s Investment

Volocopter and Grab conduct air-taxi feasibility study in Southeast Asia

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Auterion and Quantum-Systems Partner on VTOL sUAS

Auterion and Quantum-Systems Partner on VTOL sUAS

Singapore to Develop Aerial Mobility Service with Airbus

Singapore to Develop Aerial Mobility Service with Airbus

What new Breeze Airlines has to do with Aerial Mobility

What new Breeze Airlines has to do with Aerial Mobility

UPS, Matternet Launch Drone Transport Program with UC San Diego Health

UPS, Matternet Launch Drone Transport Program with UC San Diego Health

Toyota-Backed Joby Aviation Raised $590 Million in Series C Funding

Toyota-Backed Joby Aviation Raised $590 Million in Series C Funding

New eVTOL Visual Flight Control Hardware To Be Developed by Daedalean and Honeywell

New eVTOL Visual Flight Control Hardware To Be Developed by Daedalean and Honeywell

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