Australia’s Quickstep Holdings announced it has been selected by Dronamics, a European middle-mile cargo drone developer and operator, as its first strategic manufacturing partner. The MOU requests that Quickstep supply engineering and manufacturing services to support Dronamics to accelerate the production of Black Swan cargo drones. Detailed commercial negotiations have commenced and are expected to result in binding agreements for Phase 1 (Prototype) by October 2022. It is anticipated that the first aircraft will be delivered during 2023, the long-term plan targets progressively increased aircraft production over the next four years.
Dronamics recently became the first cargo drone company to obtain a European drone airline license, and is planning to launch commercial operations in Europe before the end of 2022 and Australia from 2023.
Mark Burgess, Quickstep Chief Executive Officer, said “Quickstep shares Dronamic’s passion for innovation and this is an exciting partnership. We are delighted to be taking their Black Swan aircraft from prototype to production. The Dronamics solution could well revolutionise the middle-mile cargo delivery sector and this partnership gives Quickstep the opportunity to provide our engineering and manufacturing expertise into delivering a large sophisticated cargo drone. This is also a great opportunity to advance the Australian aerospace sector, something we are very passionate about.”
Konstantin Rangelov, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of DRONAMICS, says: “The first strategic manufacturing partnership is a key milestone in our mission to enable same-day delivery for everyone, everywhere. As an innovator who is challenging the status quo in cargo mobility, we are thrilled to have the support of an experienced partner like Quickstep to help us realise the full potential of our solution.”
Rolls-Royce, Hyundai announce hydrogen plans for AAM
Rolls-Royce and Hyundai Motor Group are announcing plans to collaborate on bringing all-electric propulsion and hydrogen fuel cell technology to the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market. The partnership will leverage Rolls-Royce’s aviation and certification capabilities and Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen fuel cell technologies and industrialisation capability. Both companies share a vision of leading the way in the AAM market delivering battery-electric and fuel cell electric solutions to the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Regional Air Mobility (RAM) markets and advancing sustainable aviation.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Rolls-Royce and Hyundai Motor Group includes five strategic aims:
- Collaborating on the technology development and requirements of power and propulsion systems for Hyundai’s Advanced Air Mobility Division.
- Collaborating on the industrialisation of Rolls-Royce power and propulsion systems for the Advanced Air Mobility market.
- Development of electric propulsion systems based upon hydrogen fuel cells as an energy source for Hyundai’s RAM platforms.
- Collaborating to bring to market a joint fuel-cell electric propulsion system to the wider AAM market.
- Delivering a joint fuel-cell electric aircraft demonstration by 2025.
Jaiwon Shin, President of Hyundai Motor Group, said: “We are pleased to partner with Rolls-Royce to draw upon their aviation and certification expertise to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion systems. Hyundai has successfully delivered hydrogen fuel cell systems to the global automotive market and is now exploring the feasibility of electric and hydrogen propulsion technologies for aerospace integration. We believe this to be the key technology to support the global aviation industry’s goal to fly net zero carbon by 2050.”
Rob Watson, President, Rolls-Royce Electrical, said: “We are delighted to partner with Hyundai Motor Group which provides a valuable opportunity to leverage and build on the capabilities each company brings from the aerospace and automotive sectors. The Advanced Air Mobility Market offers great commercial potential, and this collaboration supports our joint ambitions to lead the way in the Advanced Air Mobility Market. It is also another demonstration of Rolls-Royce’s role in delivering the solutions that will enable passengers to travel sustainably and help deliver net zero carbon by 2050.”
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