Wisk Aero and Liebherr-Aerospace have announced an agreement for the development and supply of the actuation system for Wisk’s Generation 6 autonomous, all-electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The agreement names Liebherr-Aerospace, a first-tier provider of on-board solutions, as the long-term supplier for this system, covering the entire development program, certification efforts, and into full-rate, scaled production. The actuation system is described as one of the most critical systems on the Gen 6 aircraft and provides control of the flight surfaces, including flaperons, elevators, and rudders. It also controls the critical tilt angle of the tilting propulsion system.
Liebherr will be adapting its proprietary modular flight control system, LiVCAS®, to align with the smaller, all-electric architecture of the Gen 6 aircraft. Wisk’s Avionics and Flight Control System teams have been collaborating closely with Liebherr to ensure seamless integration of the technology.
Eric Haugen, Head of Supply Chain Management at Wisk, stated, “The actuation system is one of the most critical systems on our aircraft. Selecting Liebherr, a well-established, world-class aerospace company, as our long-term supplier for this system is a major milestone for the program. Their institutional knowledge, combined with our innovative approach, has created a powerful, collaborative team dedicated to delivering a safe, certified, all-electric aircraft.”
The system is engineered with built-in redundancy to meet the high aviation safety standards required for certification. This collaboration aims to leverage Liebherr’s extensive institutional knowledge in certifying flight control systems for commercial aircraft alongside Wisk’s innovative approach and working relationship with the FAA on novel systems.
Dr. Klaus Schneider, Chief Technology Officer, Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS, commented, “We are very pleased to have been selected by Wisk to develop and deliver the actuation system. Our versatile, modular, flight control actuation concept has convinced our customer, and we look forward to a long-term partnership with Wisk to help shape the future of air transportation.”
The manufacturing of the electro-mechanical actuators and actuator electronic units will primarily occur at Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, which serves as Liebherr’s center of competence for flight control systems, and at Liebherr-Electronics and Drives GmbH in Lindau, both located in Germany.
