Hyundai Motor Group, Safran sign MOU for advanced air mobility development cooperation
The cooperation will include — but is not limited to — exploration of electric propulsion systems, avionics and flight control and cabin interiors, with composites as a potential component.
Jaiwon Shin, president and head of AAM Division of Hyundai Motor Group (left) and Alexandre Ziegler, senior executive vice president, international and public affairs, stand in front of the eVTOL cabin concept unveiled at Farnborough 2022, complete with CFRTP material incorporation. Photo Credit: Hyundai Motor Group.
Hyundai Motor Group (Seoul, South Korea) and Safran (Paris, France) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore and identify possible opportunities in advanced air mobility (AAM) industry that would be beneficial to both parties and potential customers. Both companies agree to explore potential cooperation in various fields such as electric propulsion systems, avionics and flight control and cabin interiors, though it is not limited to these topics. Hyundai Motor Group’s reveal of a UAM cabin concept incorporating composite materials suggests potential exploration in this space.
“Safran will be one of the most important partners in promoting Hyundai Motor Group’s AAM development,” Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility Division, notes. “Starting with this MOU, we will focus on finding the ways of cooperation to lead AAM development from the technical and business perspective.”
Alexandre Ziegler, senior executive vice president, international and public affairs, Safran, underlines that through this agreement, Safran demonstrates its will to support Hyundai by bringing its extensive experience in aerospace, advanced high technologies and expertise in certification to speed up Hyundai’s development and secure the entry into service of the vehicles.
Earlier this year, Hyundai Motor Group announced its AAM development roadmap, which encompasses the urban air mobility (UAM) and RAM segments to offer eco-friendly air mobility solutions for intracity and intercity transportation. The Group’s U.S.-based Supernal (Washington, D.C., U.S.) unit is aiming to begin UAM services in the U.S. in 2028 while the group plans to launch RAM services in the 2030s.
Related Content
-
Plant tour: Spirit AeroSystems, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Purpose-built facility employs resin transfer infusion (RTI) and assembly technology to manufacture today’s composite A220 wings, and prepares for future new programs and production ramp-ups.
-
Plant tour: Joby Aviation, Marina, Calif., U.S.
As the advanced air mobility market begins to take shape, market leader Joby Aviation works to industrialize composites manufacturing for its first-generation, composites-intensive, all-electric air taxi.
-
Manufacturing the MFFD thermoplastic composite fuselage
Demonstrator’s upper, lower shells and assembly prove materials and new processes for lighter, cheaper and more sustainable high-rate future aircraft.
