Honeywell expands Vertical partnership for VX4 production

The companies' collaboration has been extended to certify flight deck and controls as they target 2028 for the VX4's airworthiness and delivery milestone.

Vertical Aerospace and Honeywell have signed a long-term agreement to support certification and production of the VX4 eVTOL. The two companies will certify the flight controls and aircraft management systems for the production aircraft. These include Honeywell’s Anthem flight deck and compact fly-by-wire system.

The systems will be certified to the 10⁹ safety standard, the same threshold applied to commercial airliners, under the supervision of the UK Civil Aviation Authority in coordination with EASA. The aim is to exceed the levels targeted by several competing eVTOL developers and to enhance the VX4’s prospects for global certification.

Honeywell and Vertical will share staff, knowledge and testing resources to speed up development, with Vertical planning to achieve type certification in 2028 and deliver 150 units by 2030. The ten-year agreement carries an estimated contract value of $1 billion.

The pair have already collaborated on multiple test campaigns using Honeywell’s flight systems. Honeywell has also been a financial backer of Vertical since 2021.

“As we accelerate toward global certification and scalable production, Honeywell’s aerospace expertise and proven track record in flight-critical systems make it the ideal partner for this next phase,” says Vertical Aerospace CEO Stuart Simpson.

“We’re excited to deepen our partnership with Vertical to help scale the technology necessary to bring even more advanced, efficient, safe and reliable solutions to the skies,” adds David Shilliday, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies’ vice president and general manager of advanced air mobility.

As part of the agreement, Vertical has also chosen Honeywell’s new lightweight inceptors for the production aircraft. Two of these pilot hand controllers will allow input to the fly-by-wire system, enhancing manoeuvrability and reducing pilot workload. Vertical and Honeywell are currently finalising the configuration.

“Our inceptor will pair seamlessly with the Honeywell Compact Fly-by-Wire system already selected by Vertical,” says Rich DeGraff, president of control systems at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “We’re excited to work together to integrate these advanced flight technologies into the VX4.”