Echodyne has formed a strategic agreement with, and received a minority investment, from Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company Supernal.
The collaboration between the two companies will focus on how to leverage Echodyne’s radars to enhance safety in Supernal’s eVTOL vehicle and across ground-based operations.
“Echodyne offers unique radar-based detection capabilities that Supernal can utilize in Advanced Air Mobility development,” said Ben Diachun, Supernal Chief Technology Officer. “Resilient and powerful radar aids airborne situational awareness to improve safety in the air.”
The partnership spans the AAM ecosystem, from onboard systems for in-flight situational awareness to ground-based solutions for enhanced operational clarity in dense airspace, such as vertiports, flight areas and corridors. In the air, the Echodyne radar will provide all-weather airspace monitoring for advanced vehicles like Supernal’s in the near-term, and potential automated applications in the future.
On the ground, the radar will deliver situational awareness data that complements the airborne radar, further enhancing the safety case and surpassing any product in its weight class. Echodyne and Supernal’s collaboration will help the fast-developing AAM industry achieve the highest aviation industry safety benchmarks.
“Supernal is reimagining airborne mobility with the same ‘safety above all’ mentality we have here at Echodyne,” added Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. “As their team continues to shape the future of the Advanced Air Mobility market, we are pleased Supernal recognizes the value of radar as they track towards market entry. The AAM market is another long-term global market where we have a significant technology advantage and this partnership demonstrates our intention to remain a significant contributor to airspace safety solutions across the industry.”