Wisk Aero acquires Verocel to bolster certification of autonomous air taxi

Wisk Aero, an advanced air mobility (AAM) company, has announced the acquisition of Verocel Inc., a renowned software verification and validation (V&V) company. Verocel’s unique expertise in supporting the certification of high-integrity aerospace software and the qualification of V&V tools will play a pivotal role in Wisk’s ongoing effort to certify its Generation 6 autonomous, electric air taxi.

For the past 25 years, the Verocel team has been at the forefront of V&V for high-integrity software products within the aerospace industry. The team possesses deep expertise in DO-178C and participates actively in industry standards committees for high-integrity software, including RTCA/Special Committee, EUROCAE Working Group, and the FAA’s Overarching Properties Working Group. Additionally, Verocel’s qualified toolset, VeroTrace, provides a baseline for software certification requirements definition, tracking and FAA submissions. This specialised expertise establishes a lasting capability at Wisk that supports both the certification of the Generation 6 aircraft and future software developments at The Boeing Company.

“High-integrity software development is critical for our mission to certify an autonomous electric aircraft, with V&V being a significant portion of the total software certification effort,” said Brian Yutko, Wisk CEO. “Verocel’s specialised and talented team will bring with them deep experience and rigour, helping to accelerate our autonomous certification project that is already well underway. We are thrilled to have this talented team join Wisk!”

Founded in 1999, Verocel has a proven history with over 160 projects for 25+ customers, including previous work with The Boeing Company. Besides software development and V&V services, Verocel also develops and produces the safety computers for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), an air navigation system that enhances GPS accuracy and integrity, enabling aircraft to navigate safely worldwide. Over 50 highly specialised software engineers, based in Westford, Massachusetts, and Poznan, Poland, will join Wisk through this acquisition.

“Wisk is a perfect alignment for Verocel, both in the long and short term,” said Jim Chelini, President of Verocel. “Not only is this a chance to directly apply our expertise to the certification of a ground-breaking technology, but it is also an incredible opportunity for Verocel talent to excel within Wisk and the broader Boeing ecosystem long term.”

Verocel will continue to fulfil customer commitments while ramping up on the Wisk Generation 6 certification programme.