Paris, June 22, 2023 – Airborne and Ascendance are teaming up, together with materials supplier Solvay, to build the first ATEA aircraft. Airborne will manufacture the full composite structure of the airframe and support Ascendance with developing the right industrialisation strategy to be ready for future high-rate manufacturing. It highlights the unique capability that Airborne has to support customers throughout all development phases, by providing both the service of manufacturing as well as supplying fully automated manufacturing systems. This provides customers with a seamless development process from start to end.
As part of the collaboration, Airborne will assume responsibility for manufacturing the entire composite structure of the airframe. Leveraging our expertise in advanced composite materials and aerospace-qualified manufacturing services, we will ensure the production of a state-of-the-art airframe that sets new benchmarks in performance, safety, and efficiency.
Moreover, Airborne will actively support Ascendance in formulating the optimal industrialization strategy required for future high-rate manufacturing. Our comprehensive understanding of the aerospace industry, coupled with our proficiency in developing fully automated manufacturing systems, will enable Ascendance to embrace a streamlined approach for future growth and success.
Airborne CTO Marcus Kremers comments “This partnership highlights the composite industry’s need to bring design, materials and processing expertise together at an early stage. Too often, the initial focus is on prototyping, and only later are the right materials, processes and automation defined which unfortunately impacts the development stage. Here we are ensuring that all aspects are taken into consideration from the start, setting us up for success.”
“We know that no one can bring aviation to a new era alone, which is why we are collaborating with some of the brightest partners in the market to make cleaner aviation a reality together” comments Jean-Christophe Lambert, CEO of Ascendance Flight Technologies. “Solvay’s comprehensive know-how in advanced materials and their dedication to sustainability will help us address the environmental challenges faced by our industry and shape the future of air transportation with greener and more efficient aircraft. Airborne’s capability in both the manufacturing of aerospace structures and the industrialization for high volume manufacturing will help to close the gap between fast prototyping and making the right choices for future manufacturing.”
“As the world continues to address the challenges posed by climate change, the aviation sector faces increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact,” states Gerald Perrin, EMEA Business Manager for Solvay. “We are delighted to combine our strengths and resources with Ascendance Flight Technologies in our joint pursuit to create a spearheading force for positive change in the aviation industry.” Visitors to the 2023 Paris Air Show (19 to 25 June 2023) at Le Bourget Parc des Expositions, can visit Ascendance Flight Technologies in the Paris Air Mobility area located in Hall 5 to explore their latest developments in eVTOL technology
At the 2023 Paris Air Show, Airborne, Ascendance Flight Technologies and Solvay have signed a partnership to collaborate in the development of innovative material and aerospace technologies for enhancing the safety, efficiency and sustainability of future aircraft.
About Airborne
At Airborne we know that innovation in manufacturing through automation, digitalisation and advanced analytics is the catalyst for the significant increase in productivity that companies need to stay competitive. We understand the complexity and cost involved in producing composite products for demanding applications in highly regulated industries. Our legacy in advanced composites manufacturing makes us experts in developing and delivering automated solutions that enable our customers to achieve high production rates and radically low conversion costs.www.airborne.com
About Ascendance Flight Technologies
.Founded in 2018 by Jean-Christophe Lambert, Thibault Baldivia, Clément Dinel and Benoît Ferran, and supported by the Occitanie regional council and Bpifrance, Ascendance Flight Technologies is a startup whose goal is to decarbonize aviation. Based in Toulouse, it is currently developing STERNA, an innovative hybrid electric propulsion system, and a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft equipped with this technology, named ATEA. www.ascendance-ft.com
About Solvay
Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 22,000 employees in 61 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €13.4 billion in 2022. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB). Learn more at www.solvay.com.
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