Aerospace & defenseSeptember 12, 2022

Vertical Aerospace builds on partnership with Dassault Systèmes and Solid Solutions Business Transformation Team to Accelerate the VX4’s Flight Testing and Development Programme

Vertical Aerospace will accelerate flight testing, certification, and production ramp-up by leveraging industry leading virtual twin technology.
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Dassault Systèmes and Vertical Aerospace signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Farnborough International Airshow. From left to right, Joshua Olphin – Partner Sales Manager, Dassault Systèmes, John Kitchingman – Managing Director, EURONORTH, Dassault Systèmes, Jim McMillan – Head of Product Lifecycle Management, Vertical Aerospace, Michael Cervenka – President, Vertical Aerospace.
  • UK-based Vertical Aerospace will seek to expand its deployment of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform to support its flight test campaign and development programme for its electric aircraft, the VX4.
  • With the help of Dassault Systèmes, and its business partner Solid Solutions Business Transformation Team, Vertical Aerospace will accelerate flight testing, certification, and production ramp-up by leveraging industry leading virtual twin technology.
  • Vertical Aerospace will be the first global customer to take their aircraft from design through to certification all on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the Cloud.

Dassault Systèmes and Solid Solutions Business Transformation Team have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering zero emissions aviation, to further collaborate on and execute a shared vision for the future of sustainable urban air mobility.

Vertical is leading the change in urban air mobility (UAM) by introducing a safer, quieter and cleaner way for people to travel around cities and regions. Vertical aims to commence commercial flights of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the VX4, by 2025. Vertical Aerospace will explore leveraging the full power of virtual twin technologies enabled by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to prepare for flight testing in 2022 and flight certification in 2025.

Dassault Systèmes and its partner Solid Solutions Business Transformation Team will be supporting this journey to the first flight in several ways, including:

Enabling model-based certification –  Key to Vertical being successful in the urban air mobility market is to achieve type certification of its new aircraft. To enable continued optimisation of its aircraft design and to accelerate its route to certification, Vertical Aerospace will look to adapt a new way of working called Model Based Certification. This revolutionary approach will maximise the use of the virtual twin technologies on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to synergise virtual and physical testing, while maintaining the high level of governance required by certification authorities.

Virtual first manufacturing process – While Vertical is already leveraging Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twin technology to support the design of its aircraft, both companies will now look to support future manufacturing operations by creating virtual twins of industrial systems, enabling a more effective and sustainable way to prepare for production ramp up at scale, ensuring right-first-time and on-time delivery to current and future customers.

“We’re pleased to build on our partnership with Dassault Systèmes by exploring new ways to innovate across our certification and manufacturing processes,” says Michael Cervenka, President at Vertical Aerospace. “The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will greatly support all phases of the product lifecycle, which is fundamental to our goal of revolutionising the way we travel in a more sustainable world.”

“Vertical Aerospace has grown significantly since we first started working together in 2018”, says John Kitchingman, Managing Director, EuroNorth, Dassault Systèmes. “It is now a global player and this milestone will set the standard for the development of eVTOLs and their deployment, as part of a greener, urban air mobility strategy. This exciting partnership is a clear match for our 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s capabilities, which will be leveraged as quickly and effectively as possible across Vertical Aerospace’s business.”

The VX4 will be operated by Vertical’s broad customer base, including major airlines, helicopter operators, tourism groups and business aviation.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Virtual Twin Experiences

Unlike a digital twin that focuses on a specific product, Virtual Twin Experiences enable businesses to visualise, model and simulate the entire environment of a product across the full product lifecycle including manufacturing and operation. As the physical product advances through its lifecycle, so too does the virtual twin.

3DEXPERIENCE platform

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a collaborative software environment that empowers businesses to innovate in entirely new ways. By leveraging Virtual Twin Experiences organisations have holistic, real-time views of their business activity and ecosystem, through the connection of people, ideas, data and solutions together in a single environment.

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up, and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions: http://www.3ds.com

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