Honeywell Aerospace and Enigma Aerospace, Inc. have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering the potential integration of advanced mission systems onto Enigma’s Phoenix Series Unmanned Aircraft System.
Phoenix is a runway-independent autonomous logistics aircraft designed to operate in GPS-denied, communications-degraded, and otherwise contested environments. Through the agreement, the companies will explore how Honeywell Aerospace’s navigation, mission systems, and electronic warfare capabilities could be integrated onto the platform in support of U.S. and allied missions.
The MoU identifies several areas for joint exploration, including resilient positioning, navigation, and timing, as well as alternative navigation systems. Other focus areas include defensive electronic warfare, secure command, control, and communications, defensive cyber, and small form-factor mission systems and payloads for unmanned platforms.
The companies plan to begin by evaluating Honeywell Aerospace’s VersaWave SATCOM unit, Ground Control Station, and ONEBOX flight controller on the Phoenix aircraft. Additional Honeywell Aerospace products may also be explored as the collaboration progresses.
Matt Milas, President, Defense and Space, Honeywell Aerospace, commented, “Autonomous systems operating in contested environments live or die by the quality of their navigation, communications and electronic warfare capabilities. Without the ability to survive and operate in these environments, you’re just throwing metal down range — and that’s precisely where Honeywell Aerospace has decades of proven performance, from the most demanding crewed missions flown today to the unmanned platforms defining tomorrow’s battlespace.”
“We’re proud to be a mission systems partner that helps Phoenix get to the warfighter faster. This collaboration reflects how we think about the autonomous systems market: find the right platforms, go deep, and build toward scale.”
Reese Mozer, Chief Executive Officer of Enigma Aerospace, added, “Operating in contested environments means assuming traditional navigation aids and communications will be denied, degraded, or disrupted, with a threat picture that can change by the minute.”
“Honeywell Aerospace brings deep aerospace and defense experience across exactly the systems that enable autonomous logistics to survive at the edge. We’re looking forward to exploring how their navigation and mission systems capabilities could support Phoenix as we work toward fielding platforms for warfighters and, eventually, commercial logistics providers.”
Honeywell Aerospace and Enigma Aerospace intend to pursue joint development and integration activities in the months ahead, with the goal of bringing select capabilities to operational use for U.S. and allied defense customers in compliance with applicable law.
