Vertical Aerospace has signed long-term supplier agreements with ANH Structure and Northrop Grumman to provide seating and inertial reference systems for its Valo electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
Under the agreements, ANH Structure will design, develop, certify and manufacture Valo’s bespoke pilot and passenger seats, while Northrop Grumman LITEF (Litton Technische Werke Freiburg) will supply its LCR-110 inertial reference system, providing position, attitude and heading data to flight-critical systems.
South Korea-based ANH Structure will provide a common seating platform for Valo’s pilot, observer and passenger seats, incorporating its proprietary 30G energy-absorption technology. The company holds European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Design Organisation Approval and Production Organisation Approval, and will support the program from detailed design through certification, industrialization and serial production.
The LCR-110 from Germany-based NG LITEF is approved to applicable EASA and US Federal Aviation Administration technical standards for inertial reference equipment.
Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said, “Valo is progressing from design into an aircraft supported by the people, systems and industrial capability needed for certification and production at scale. ANH Structure and NG LITEF each bring specialist expertise and strong certification credentials.”
“Their selection adds further strength to the world-class supplier ecosystem behind Valo and supports our strategy to deliver one versatile platform across multiple cabin configurations and missions,” he added.
The agreements add to a supplier network that includes Honeywell Aerospace, Sonaca, Evolito, Hyundai WIA, Syensqo, Isoclima and Astronics. Vertical’s “one platform” strategy covers four- and six-passenger cabin configurations, alongside electric, hybrid-electric and autonomous variants for commercial and defense markets.
