Las Vegas, Nevada - GE Aviation announced a teaming agreement with Hybrid Project to provide a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV designed for high endurance commercial applications at scale. Flight testing will commence in Q4 this year with commercial availability targeted for Q1 2020.
The agreement enables Hybrid Project’s 35-pound hybrid-powered SuperVolo VTOL UAV with a full stack airborne computing hardware platform, flight and safety management, and integration from GE Aviation and Auterion. GE Aviation’s computing platform enables flight control and airborne computing power at the edge while maintaining an independent and authoritative safety controller. Auterion’s Enterprise PX4 operating system resides on the vehicle, in the cloud, and the ground station. This integration is the result of an agreement announced earlier this year between GE Aviation and Auterion to provide all-in-one hardware and software platform for commercial drones.
“The combination of Hybrid Project’s SuperVolo airframe, GE Aviation’s computing platform, and Auterion’s software stack enables an all-in-one solution that readily scales for commercial applications,” said Matt Vacanti, product leader, Avionics Systems for GE Aviation. “A highly integrated system is critical to achieving scalable commercial UAV operations.”
Hybrid Project’s SuperVolo has been designed from the ground up with an emphasis on endurance flight, ease of maintenance, and modularity. The combined system is comprised of technologies and services which have the capability to enable commercial operations in complex environments while meeting regulatory and mission outcomes.
“This collaboration, and the combined solution, will increase commercial operator flexibility, efficiency, and overall performance to a level not previously available in its class,” said Ryan Pope, co-founder of Hybrid Project.
Auterion’s Enterprise PX4 software is built on top of open software standards that are supported by a global developer community. Auterion’s enterprise software also provides the infrastructure enabling online workflows, compliance monitoring, and enterprise fleet management. “With Auterion software, the Hybrid Project SuperVolo flies farther, safer, and more efficiently, unlocking new BVLOS capabilities and missions that were previously not possible before commercial drones of this class were available,” stated Kevin Sartori, co-founder of Auterion.
The full solution is designed specifically for commercial operators and service providers. Visit the Hybrid Project booth #937 at the Commercial UAV Expo for an in-person view of the aircraft on October 29 – 30. Pre-orders for SuperVolo configurations are being accepted with deliveries starting in Q1 2020.
About Hybrid Project
Hybrid Project is a VTOL UAV manufacturer specializing in endurance flight and gas/electric hybrid powerplants with a diverse background in machining, aerospace manufacturing, motorsports, commercial aviation, and robotics. Hybrid Project is dedicated to performance, reliability, ease of maintenance in the field and efficiency of manufacturing. For more information visit: www.hybridproject.com
About Auterion
Auterion is the leading open-source operating system for drones. With 50+ employees across offices in Switzerland and California, Auterion has to date raised $10M in venture-backed funding from investors such as Lakestar, Mosaic Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, and Tectonic Ventures. The company’s global customer base includes GE Aviation, Impossible Aerospace, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Learn more at: www.auterion.com
About GE Aviation
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, avionics, digital solutions and electrical power systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation, twitter @GEAviation.
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Contact: Jennifer Villarreal [email protected] t. +1 616 241 8643