Vertical Aerospace and Near Earth Autonomy Partner to Equip Valo for Uncrewed Operations
The strategic partnership supports near-term uncrewed defense operations while creating a roadmap toward increasingly automated commercial passenger services.
(London, U.K. & Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Vertical Aerospace and Near Earth Autonomy announced today (Jul. 16) a partnership to equip Vertical’s forthcoming Valo electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for uncrewed defense and commercial operations.
Image courtesy of today’s (Jul. 16) press release from Vertical Aerospace.
Near Earth’s autonomy products are designed to integrate natively with Valo’s Honeywell Aerospace Anthem avionics, according to today’s press release from Vertical Aerospace.
Per Vertical, Near Earth, which was founded in 2012, brings more than a decade of experience developing autonomous flight systems for programmes with the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and Honeywell Aerospace, such as optionally piloted Black Hawk helicopters and autonomous flight demonstrations on the Leonardo AW139.
More specifically, through their partnership, Vertical and Near Earth intend to pursue near-term defense opportunities while also creating a long-term roadmap for increasingly automated commercial operations, per Vertical.
Image of Vertical Aerospace’s Valo eVTOL on display courtesy of Simply Wall Street.
"Defense is an increasingly important strategic market for Vertical, and this partnership moves us from ambition to capability,” said Vertical Aerospace CEO Stuart Simpson. “More broadly, it reflects how our industry is evolving. The story is no longer whether electric aircraft can fly. It’s whether companies can build scalable aerospace businesses capable of serving multiple markets.
Dr. Sanjiv Singh, CEO and Co-Founder of Near Earth, said: "We’ve spent more than a decade bringing autonomous capabilities to aircraft for some of the world’s most challenging missions. Valo provides an exceptional platform for autonomy to enable uncrewed flight. By combining Near Earth’s autonomy with Vertical’s next-generation aircraft and Honeywell Aerospace’s open digital cockpit, we have an opportunity to deliver autonomous capabilities faster, with rapid integration, for both commercial and defense applications."
