How Vertical Aerospace achieves its goal of becoming the first to market with its innovative eVTOL aircraft

Sustainability, innovation, and digital transformation drive revolutionary changes across the aviation industry. At the forefront of this change is Vertical Aerospace, a UK-based startup developing cutting-edge electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. With ambitions to be among the first to market with a certified zero-emission air taxi, the company needed a robust digital platform to support its product development, certification process, and manufacturing operations.

DELMIA Apriso

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Building the future of flight with 3DEXPERIENCE

To accelerate development, Vertical Aerospace turned to our strategic partner Dassault Systèmes, deeming their 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the Cloud the right solution. This decision provided the company with enterprise-level design, engineering, and simulation tools in a single, secure, and standards-based environment.

By integrating all disciplines into a unified system, the platform enabled:

Seamless collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, and compliance teams.

A fully traceable product lifecycle, essential for regulatory certification.

A digital twin approach, allowing real-time simulation and validation of the aircraft.

Cloud-based accessibility, ensuring agility in product development.

Meeting core business needs

As a startup building its entire business from scratch, Vertical Aerospace required an approach that would not only support current production requirements but also scale for the future. Key initiatives included:

Product Structure and part numbering

Implementing a future-proof system to manage configurations and ensure complete traceability of aircraft components.

Change management

Establishing a streamlined process to track modifications across teams, ensuring regulatory compliance while maintaining efficiency.

Virtual Twin for certification

Developing a virtual model of the aircraft, integrating aerodynamics, electronics, and structural components, enabling real-time validation and compliance tracking.

The VA-X4: A new standard in urban air mobility

At the heart of Vertical Aerospace’s innovation is the VA-X4—a next-generation eVTOL designed to transform urban transportation. Unlike traditional helicopters, the VA-X4 features a winged design that:

Reduces electrical load by generating lift during flight.
Enhances range and speed, targeting 150 mph over 100 miles.
Operates at a fraction of the noise and cost of conventional rotorcraft.

By leveraging the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Vertical Aerospace ensures that all aircraft development processes—from concept to certification—are seamlessly integrated, making it a model for the future of aviation.

A digital-first approach to manufacturing

The adoption of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows Vertical Aerospace to work in a fully digital environment, eliminating inefficiencies and accelerating time to market. Key benefits include:

A single source of truth: All teams, from aerodynamics to assembly, work from the same dataset, reducing errors and enhancing collaboration.
Concurrent engineering: Teams can design, simulate, and validate components simultaneously, rather than in sequential steps, drastically reducing development time.
Seamless supplier collaboration: The platform enables digital data exchange with manufacturing partners, ensuring smooth production transitions.

As Vertical Aerospace advances toward certification and commercial launch, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform remains central to its strategy, ensuring speed, efficiency, and compliance in this groundbreaking aviation venture.

Andea’s impact on Aerospace & Defense

While Vertical Aerospace leads the charge in eVTOL innovation, other aerospace leaders have also turned to digital transformation to optimize manufacturing operations. Andea, a trusted DELMIA reseller and integrator, has successfully delivered DELMIA Apriso for major aerospace manufacturers.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) partnered Delmia Apriso Mes Software with Andea to develop a Manufacturing Planning and Execution Platform using DELMIA Apriso. This solution streamlined production, quality, and supply chain operations, replacing over 20 disparate applications across SNC’s business units. More in the case study.

Bombardier Aerospace, a global leader in aviation, collaborated with Andea to implement DELMIA Apriso MES services. These included process builder training, solution design, UI optimization, and go-live assistance, enhancing efficiency across Bombardier’s production facilities. More in the case study.

Driving aerospace into the future

As the aerospace industry embraces digitalization and sustainability, companies like Vertical Aerospace, SNC, and Bombardier are proving that cutting-edge manufacturing execution systems (MES) and digital platforms are key to success. Whether it’s pioneering electric air taxis or optimizing global aircraft production, Andea remains a committed partner in transforming the future of flight.

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