Lilium Begins Construction of eVTOL Certification Test Facility with SEGULA Technologies
The forthcoming 26,000 sf rig at Lilium’s headquarters near Munich is expected to be operational by late summer.
(Munich, Germany) Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle developer Lilium N.V. (NASDAQ: LILM) announced this morning that it has begun construction of a 26,000 square foot advanced test facility near its headquarters in Munich, Germany – designed in partnership with engineering group SEGULA Technologies – for integration and certification testing of the Lilium Jet.
Photo from Lilium’s wind tunnel tests at the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW) facility in Marknesse, Netherlands last year (May 2023), courtesy of Lilium.
The new facility, which will house a complete, fully integrated aircraft, is expected to become operational late this summer and will be used to simulate flights, for system integration testing and to verify aircraft performance, according to today’s press release from Lilium.
Per Lilium, the construction of the test site – alongside the building of the first Lilium Jet, which began at the end of 2023 – represents an important step on Lilium’s path towards first piloted flight, which is targeted for the end of this year, and type certification of the Lilium Jet.
“The test facility will be a cornerstone of the Lilium Jet certification program, allowing us to test multiple flight missions as well as failure scenarios in a controlled environment on the ground,” said Lilium’s Chief Technology Officer Stephen Vellacott.
According to today’s press release, SEGULA Technologies was selected as Lilium’s design partner for “its cutting-edge expertise in test rigs, calculations, simulations, and for its comprehensive multidisciplinary approach.” The SEGULA project team is comprised of approximately 30 experts across several sites (including Germany’s Cologne and Munich, and France’s Vitrolles and Lyon offices).
Ulrich Weide, Head of Business Development in the Aerospace Department at SEGULA Technologies, commented: “As engineers, it’s a great experience to be involved in such a project firstly, because it represents a further step in decarbonising the aviation industry. Secondly, we’ve put together a transnational team of passionate experts, which is very stimulating and fosters a rich learning environment. Together, we’re not just building aircraft; we’re pioneering the future of flight.”
Today’s announcement extends a busy news week for Lilium, and comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement about due diligence toward a >= € 100 million KfW loan from the federal government of Germany and Bavaria and Monday’s (May 13) announcement about Lilium’s discussions with the French government to expand its high-volume production capacity in France.
The full-scale Lilium Jet eVTOL will be unveiled for the first time at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland from May 28 – 30.
