- Honeywell continues certification and production work for its
flight control and aircraft management systems; enters into new
long-term agreement with Vertical to unlock speed and efficiencies
in delivering Vertical’s VX4 aircraft to customers
- New Honeywell inceptors also selected by Vertical to make VX4
easier and safer for pilots to fly
- Expanded partnership has potential $1B projected contract value
over next decade1
Vertical Aerospace (“Vertical”) (NYSE: EVTL) and Honeywell
(NASDAQ: HON) today announced the signing of a new long-term
agreement that expands their existing partnership and reinforces
Honeywell’s commitment to the certification and production of
Vertical’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft,
the VX4.
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Honeywell and Vertical Aerospace sign new
long term agreement to bring VX4 to market
Under this expanded collaboration, Honeywell and Vertical will
work together to certify two of the most critical systems on the
VX4 that make it safer and easier to fly: the aircraft management
system, which includes the Honeywell Anthem Flight deck, and the
flight controls system, which includes Honeywell’s compact
fly-by-wire system. Both systems will be certified for the
production version of the VX4.
The Anthem flight deck is essentially the brains of the VX4,
combining cockpit displays, software, controls, and connectivity
into one smart, digital platform. It is designed to be intuitive
and highly automated, helping pilots make better, faster decisions.
The fly-by-wire system is technology that allows the aircraft to be
controlled electronically instead of mechanically, helping to
improve stability, safety, and ease of flight.
Vertical and Honeywell will be certifying these systems to the
highest safety standards of 10-9 as set by the UK Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA), which is collaborating with the European Union
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on VX4 validation. Certifying to 10-9
means a catastrophic system failure rate of one in a billion flight
hours -- the same standard as commercial airliners. Meeting this
safety standard exceeds the targeted standards announced by some of
Vertical’s competitors and is intended to make the VX4 the most
exportable and certifiable eVTOL globally.
The companies will share expertise, personnel and testing
environments, which are collectively expected to speed up the VX4’s
development and help both companies achieve certification and
quickly move to production. As part of its Flightpath 2030
strategy, Vertical intends to certify the VX4 in 2028 and deliver
at least 150 aircraft to customers by 2030. The expanded
partnership has a potential $1 billion in projected contract value
over the next decade1.
The agreement builds on Vertical’s and Honeywell’s six-year
relationship, during which time the two companies have closely
collaborated to address the challenges of advanced air mobility.
Together, the companies have leveraged Honeywell’s flight systems
in the VX4 prototype programme, including in two separate flight
test campaigns, the latest of which is due to commence piloted
wingborne flight tests soon. Honeywell is also a long-standing
investor in Vertical, having invested in the company since
2021.
“As we accelerate toward global certification and scalable
production, Honeywell’s aerospace expertise and proven track record
in flight-critical systems make it the ideal partner for this next
phase,” said Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. “By
integrating production-ready technologies, we’re helping build an
aircraft that meets the highest safety standards in aviation,
solidifying its certifiability and exportability across global
markets.”
“We have long believed in the importance of advanced air
mobility and the significant potential we can unlock by harnessing
our deep expertise in integrated avionics and flight controls in
new and exciting ways,” said David Shilliday, Vice President and
General Manager of Advanced Air Mobility at Honeywell Aerospace
Technologies. “With a shared commitment to innovation,
reliability and safety, we’re excited to deepen our partnership
with Vertical to help scale the technology necessary to bring even
more advanced, efficient, safe and reliable solutions to the
skies.”
Vertical Selects New Honeywell Inceptors
As part of the expanded partnership, Vertical has also selected
newly designed Honeywell inceptors for its production aircraft. The
VX4 pilot will use two of these state-of-the-art hand controllers
to maneuver the aircraft by providing inputs to the flight control
computer. The inceptor gives pilots more precise, intuitive
control, which helps create a safer, easier-to-fly aircraft – key
elements for scaling operations and gaining regulatory approval.
Vertical and Honeywell are working together to finalise the optimal
configuration to meet Vertical’s needs.
“We designed our inceptor to be the lightest and most compact in
the industry, and we could not be happier that Vertical is the
launch customer for this new technology,” said Rich DeGraff,
President, Control Systems, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies.
“Our inceptor will pair seamlessly with the Honeywell Compact
Fly-by-Wire system already selected by Vertical, and we’re excited
to work together to integrate these advanced flight technologies
into the VX4.”
About Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace is a global aerospace and technology company
pioneering electric aviation. Vertical is creating a safer, cleaner
and quieter way to travel. Vertical’s VX4 is a piloted, four
passenger, Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft,
with zero operating emissions. Vertical combines partnering with
leading aerospace companies, including GKN, Honeywell and Leonardo,
with developing its own proprietary battery and propeller
technology to develop the world’s most advanced and safest
eVTOL.
Vertical has c.1,500 pre-orders of the VX4, with customers
across four continents, including American Airlines, Japan
Airlines, GOL and Bristow. Certain customer obligations are
expected to be fulfilled via third-party agreements. Headquartered
in Bristol, the epicentre of the UK’s aerospace industry,
Vertical’s experienced leadership team comes from top tier
automotive and aerospace companies such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, GM
and Leonardo. Together they have previously certified and supported
over 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion
systems.
About Honeywell
Honeywell is an integrated operating company serving a broad
range of industries and geographies around the world. Our business
is aligned with three powerful megatrends – automation, the future
of aviation and energy transition – underpinned by our Honeywell
Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Forge IoT platform. As a
trusted partner, we help organizations solve the world's toughest,
most complex challenges, providing actionable solutions and
innovations through our Aerospace Technologies, Industrial
Automation, Building Automation and Energy and Sustainability
Solutions business segments that help make the world smarter,
safer, as well as more secure and sustainable. For more news and
information on Honeywell, please visit
www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Any express or implied statements contained in this release
that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be
forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the
potential projected contract value of the Company’s partnership
with Honeywell together with the assumptions underlying the
Company’s Flightpath 2030 goals, statements regarding expected
ability to certify the Honeywell Anthem Flight deck and compact
fly-by-wire system for the production version of the VX4, the
efficiencies and expertise expected, the design and manufacture of
the VX4, certification and the commercialization of the VX4 and our
ability to achieve regulatory certification of our aircraft product
on any particular timeline or at all, the features and capabilities
of the VX4, business strategy and plans and objectives of
management for future operations, including the building and
testing of our prototype aircrafts on timelines projected,
completion of the piloted test programme phases, selection of
suppliers, as well as statements that include the words “expect,”
“intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,”
“may,” “should,” “anticipate,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,”
“continue,” “is/are likely to” and similar statements of a future
or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements reflect
our current views with respect to future events and are not a
guarantee of future performance. Actual outcomes may differ
materially from the information contained in the forward-looking
statements as a result of a number of factors, including, without
limitation: our limited operating history without manufactured
non-prototype aircraft or completed eVTOL aircraft customer order;
our potential inability to raise additional funds when we need or
want them, or at all, to fund our operations; our limited cash and
cash equivalents and recurring losses from our operations raise
significant doubt (or raise substantial doubt as contemplated by
PCAOB standards) regarding our ability to continue as a going
concern; our potential inability to produce or launch aircraft in
the volumes or timelines projected; the potential inability to
obtain the necessary certifications for production and operation
within any projected timeline, or at all; the inability for our
aircraft to perform at the level we expect and may have potential
defects; our history of losses and the expectation to incur
significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable
future; the market for eVTOL aircraft being in a relatively early
stage; any accidents or incidents involving eVTOL aircraft could
harm our business; our dependence on partners and suppliers for the
components in our aircraft and for operational needs; the potential
that certain strategic partnerships may not materialize into
long-term partnership arrangements; all of the pre-orders received
are conditional and may be terminated at any time and any
predelivery payments may be fully refundable upon certain specified
dates; any circumstances; any potential failure to effectively
manage our growth; our inability to recruit and retain senior
management and other highly skilled personnel; we have previously
identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over
financial reporting which if we fail to properly remediate, could
adversely affect our results of operations, investor confidence in
us and the market price of our ordinary shares; as a foreign
private issuer we follow certain home country corporate governance
rules, are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to
Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more
lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. domestic public
company; and the other important factors discussed under the
caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F
filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on
March 11, 2025, as such factors may be updated from time to time in
the Company’s other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking
statements contained in this release speak only as of the date
hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such
statements. The Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to
update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this
release whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.
1 Based on Vertical’s aircraft delivery goals by 2030 and
medium-term upscaling plans, as previously announced as part of the
Company’s Flightpath 2030 strategic initiatives.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250508689474/en/
Vertical Aerospace Media Contact Justin Bates, Head of
Communications +44 7878 357 463 justin.bates@vertical-aerospace.com
Samuel Emden, Head of Investor Affairs
samuel.emden@vertical-aerospace.com +44 7816 459 904 Honeywell
Media Contact Adam Kress, Director of External Communications
+1 602-760-6252 adam.kress@honeywell.com
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