SkyNaute INS Selected for Autonomous eVTOL Air Taxi

Safran Electronics & Defense will supply its SkyNaute Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) for Wisk Aero’s Generation 6 autonomous, all-electric air taxi. 

Based on a disruptive and mature Safran-patented technology, the HRG Crystal Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope, SkyNaute combines high performance and reliability, in a compact form factor. With very high levels of integrity and accuracy, even when GNSS signals are absent or jammed, the SkyNaute hybrid INS 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. 

According to Wisk, its 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. 

“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.” 

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