Published 9/21/2023

Lilium commences fuselage assembly for Lilium Jet

First of seven fuselages, to be manufactured and assembled at partner Aciturri’s facility in Spain by the end of 2023, marks a pivotal step in the eVTOL aircraft’s industrialization.

Edited by: Grace Nehls

Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld

Lilium N.V. (Munich, Germany) has achieved a significant development milestone with the commencement of its fuselage assembly for the Lilium Jet, which remains on track for expected first manned flight planned in late 2024 (read “FAA issues G-1 certification basis for Lilium Jet”). The start of fuselage assembly serves as another tangible manifestation of Lilium’s strategic roadmap, demonstrating the company’s ability to progress from vision to execution.

The Lilium Jet’s fuselage, wing and canard are primarily constructed from carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy, with selected metallic elements designed to create an internal electrical bonding network. This is the first of seven fuselages for the seven aircraft Lilium will use to achieve type certification.

“We’re delighted to kick off assembly of the first Lilium Jet fuselage at Aciturri, bringing us one step closer to reshaping sustainable regional air mobility,” Yves Yemsi, COO of Lilium, says. “We see this as further evidence that our teaming with proven aerospace suppliers to bring our cutting-edge eVTOL [electric vertical takeoff and landing] aircraft to market is the optimal strategy as we advance along a path to certification and entry into service.”

The fuselage was developed in collaboration with, and is being built by, Tier 1 aerospace supplier and strategic partner Aciturri (Miranda de Ebro, Spain) at its facilities in Valladolid, Spain (read “Lilium selects Aciturri for eVTOL fabrication”). The fuselage is planned for delivery to Lilium facilities in Wessling, Germany, in Q4 2023, prior to planned start of assembly of the first Lilium Jet by the end of this year.

This latest phase leverages Aciturri’s proficiency in design and manufacturing of high-quality composite and metallic aerostructures. It follows a comprehensive industrial program review conducted in late August 2023 in which leadership from Lilium and Aciturri reviewed and greenlighted the initial industrial production components and process.

Aciturri, a Lilium investor, is an established aerospace supplier with nearly 50 years of experience in commercial aircraft programs, including the design and manufacture of major airframe components for the Airbus A350, A320, A400M, Boeing 787 and Embraer KC390 programs, among others. As well as supporting industrialization of the Lilium Jet, Aciturri will continue to support the eVTOL aircraft’s design optimization and certification in the years ahead.

“Aciturri is committed to playing a leading role in the transformation of sustainable regional air mobility, which supports Europe’s goal of achieving climate neutrality,” Maria Eugenia Clemente, CEO of Aciturri Aerostructures, notes. “We are fully aligned with Lilium’s vision and design, and we are delighted to have evolved our partnership to such a foundational stage towards the birth of the Lilium Jet.”

Harcourt (Madison Heights, Mich., U.S.) designed and built the tooling for Aciturri to support the development of the Lilium Jet. The BoxJoint tooling system is an “arrangement of tubes and joints, which together form a framework” that facilitates a quick assembly process. It offers a variety of benefits to users, including repeatability, works interchangeably with different materials, is reconfigurable and more. BoxJoint reportedly offers 80% reduction in tooling costs, 50% reduction in lead times and cuts down on tooling modification costs and project delays.

Learn more about the tooling here.