PARIS AIR SHOW, LE BOURGET — Wisk Aero, a leading Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, has selected Safran Electronics & Defense to supply SkyNaute™ inertial navigation systems for its Generation 6 autonomous, all-electric air taxi.
“Wisk is building and certifying the first commercial autonomous aircraft, and the high integrity avionics and software stack that enables it,” said Brian Yutko, CEO of Wisk. “We are thrilled to be deploying Safran’s HRG technology as part of this. Our initial testing has confirmed the SkyNaute technology is a step change in navigation system performance and we look forward to deploying it on our 6th Generation air taxi.”
“We are very excited to work with Wisk Aero. We share the same commitments to pushing the boundaries of innovation while maintaining the highest level of safety”, said Franck Saudo, Chief Executive Officer, Safran Electronics & Defense. “By leveraging Safran Electronics & Defense’s cutting-edge inertial technology with SkyNaute™, we will provide Wisk with the most advanced solution for their autonomous aircraft.”
Based on a disruptive and mature Safran-patented technology, the HRG Crystal™ Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope, SkyNaute™ combines high performance and reliability, in the most compact form factor on the market. With very high levels of integrity and accuracy, even when GNSS signals are absent or jammed, SkyNaute™ hybrid inertial navigation system is designed to ensure the precise trajectory of the Generation 6 self-flying air taxi, during all flight phases, leading to an optimum flight safety.
Safran Electronics & Defense is a long-standing leader in inertial navigation, with over 70 years of expertise in all underlying technologies. Fully industrialized, the HRG technology has already demonstrated its capabilities for the most demanding civil and military applications in all environments: land, air, sea and space.
Wisk’s Generation 6 aircraft is the world’s first autonomous, all-electric, four-seat eVTOL air taxi designed for passenger transport. Through a multifaceted approach — including autonomous flight with human oversight, a simplified design with fewer moving parts, fully redundant systems, and no single point of failure — Wisk’s aircraft is being designed to meet or exceed the highest possible aviation standard.
Since 2010, Wisk has developed multiple generations of aircraft and conducted more than 1600+ test flights. In 2023, Wisk became a fully-owned subsidiary of Boeing. While Wisk operates separately, the relationship provides development, testing, certification collaboration, and more between Wisk and Boeing.
About Wisk
Wisk is an advanced air mobility (AAM) company dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk’s self-flying, eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi will make it possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their destination faster. Wisk is a fully-owned Boeing subsidiary that operates separately from Boeing and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with locations around the world. With over a decade of experience and over 1600 test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably. Wisk is on a journey to deliver safe, autonomous, all-electric, everyday flight, join us and learn more here.
About Safran Electronics & Defense
Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets. Its core purpose is to contribute to a safer, more sustainable world, where air transport is more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Safran has a global presence, with 83,000 employees and sales of 19.0 billion euros in 2022, and holds, alone or in partnership, world or regional leadership positions in its core markets. Safran is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices.
Safran Electronics & Defense is an international company with 10,000 employees, built on proven expertise in technologies that underpin sovereignty. By combining human and artificial intelligence, the company develops the products and services that empower aerospace and defense players to observe, decide and guide. Safran Electronics & Defense also supports fellow Safran companies by sharing its state-of-the-art electronics skills and expertise.
For more information: www.safran-group.com
