Vertical Aerospace today announced a long-term strategic partnership with Aciturri Aerostructures to build the airframe for Vertical’s electric and hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the VX4.
“Under the partnership agreement, Aciturri will supply the entire airframe, including the wing, empennage, pylons and fuselage, of both the pre-production and, subject to certification, certified VX4 that will enter into service,” said a Vertical press release. “In addition, Aciturri will also have engineering responsibility for several structural components and will provide concurrent manufacturing engineering for the airframe programme, providing the conditions for the VX4 to be built efficiently, reliably, and at scale.
Aciturri’s experience includes the design and manufacturing of major airframe components for Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer, including the A320, B737 and Embraer KC-390, as well as proven experience developing airframes for eVTOL programs, such as those for Eve Air Mobility and Lilium.
This partnership is part of Vertical’s strategy of initiating production with long-range parts purchasing, a key element of the company’s Flightpath 2030 plan, as it moves to certification and production. It follows the announcement of Vertical’s expanded partnership with Honeywell to supply flight control and aircraft management systems for the VX4 and builds on Vertical’s recent milestone of completing its first airport to airport flights.
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