Pipistrel Picks Honeywell Tech For Autonomous Cargo Aircraft

Pipistrel has chosen Honeywell’s AH-2000 attitude heading reference system and air data module (ADM) for its Nuuva V300 autonomous cargo aircraft. According to Honeywell, the AH-2000 uses the company’s Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)-based inertial sensors to provide aircraft attitude and velocity information. Pipistrel announced last October that the Nuuva V300 would also use the Honeywell Compact Fly-By-Wire system.

“Nuuva V300’s groundbreaking operational concept requires highly accurate, dependable and robust navigation sensors, and the AH-2000 and ADM are key enablers of this functionality,” said Tine Tomažič, Pipistrel chief technology officer. “This technology allows us to deliver simple and intuitive mouse-click control to fly the vehicle, eliminating the need for operators to be trained with traditional piloting skills, which helps ensure rapid scale-up of operations for our customers.”

Pipistrel’s Nuuva V300 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is expected to be able to carry loads of up to 460 kilograms (1,014 pounds) with a range of greater than 300 kilometers (162 NM). It features a lifting nose section and a 3-cubic-meter (106-cubic-foot) cargo compartment. The Nuuva V300, which is powered by a hybrid-electric powertrain with dedicated lift and cruise propulsion systems, will be capable of fully autonomous flight.