Utilizing the company's existing technology, software, services and certification Expertise, Honeywell has decided to form a new business unit which will be dedicated to both the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industries.
“Urban Air Mobility and Unmanned Aerial Systems will play an increasing role in the future of aerospace, with potential applications in all-electric urban air taxi vehicles, hybrid-electric unmanned cargo drones, optionally piloted airplanes, delivery drones and everything in between,” said Mike Madsen, President and CEO, Honeywell Aerospace. “Honeywell has already contributed many technological advancements to these markets and is well positioned to continue growing our portfolio to meet customer needs and help shape the future of autonomous aviation and urban transport.”
Currently, Honeywell is a leading provider of systems for urban air taxi and cargo vehicles as well as other types of aircraft, including integrated avionics, flight controls, electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, actuation, and cabin environmental control systems. The company collaborates actively with other industry leaders such as Pipistrel, Vertical Aerospace, Volocopter and Jaunt Air Mobility. The UAS business unit will develop new products and services that will include aircraft systems such as avionics, electric and hybrid-electric propulsion and thermal management, flight services such as unmanned air traffic management, and ground operations services such as predictive aircraft maintenance analytics.
The new organization will further expand Honeywell's growing portfolio of UAM solutions, and is heavily focused on software development, driving rapid development and testing of new products including: a “fly-by-wire” autopilot system that automatically ensures aircraft stability even if the pilot is “hands off” for extended periods of time, detect-and-avoid algorithms that automatically fly an aircraft around oncoming traffic, and artificial intelligence (AI) software that tracks landing zones for precise vertical landings every time.
