California based Joby aviation, a company that develops electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (evtol) for commercial passenger services, announced its acquisition of avionyx, an aviation software engineering company, at techcrunch sessions on Wednesday
Although neither company disclosed the terms of the deal, Joby said it was an acquisition, which means that avionyx employees will join Joby. This may also mean that this is a combination of equity and stock transactions.
The company said that Joby's five seater evtol plane can carry four passengers, with a speed of up to 200mph and a maximum range of 150 miles on a single charge.
Taking over avionyx enables Joby to do what many companies are trying to do: vertical integration.
"We believe that (vertical integration) is the fastest way to enter the market, because we don't have to worry about some supply chain problems. We can consider what are the regulations for certifying pilots and how do you actually build simulators? You know, when you certify an aircraft, you have to certify one simulator at the same time." Bonny Simi, director of operations and personnel of Joby airlines, said on the stage.
At present, Joby is focusing on vertical integration around aircraft development and certification. The company's first system review and FAA compliance review were first approved in March, but the acquisition of avionyx will help support Joby's aircraft type certification program with the agency. Avionyx has conducted extensive cooperation with the FAA and the European aviation safety agency in the past.
According to Joby, software verification is essential to meet FAA regulations and standards because it allows engineers to review, analyze and test software deployed on aircraft. In addition, it ostensibly helps to avoid vehicle crashes. For example, the National Transportation Safety Commission is investigating the Joby plane crash in February.
Joby said that by not relying on third parties, the company can also manage its platform more flexibly, respond to challenges flexibly and apply the knowledge learned more quickly.
Avionyx's experience in this field will help Joby advance the operation of its aircraft software integration laboratory in marina, California, where Joby can verify and verify the performance of its different aircraft software systems through thousands of rapid pre programming tests using flight and hardware simulators. The company also said it would build a similar plant in avonyx's hometown of San Jose, Costa Rica, to speed up the verification of the software.
In addition to supporting Joby's FAA certification program, as a supplier of as-9100d certification, avionyx will continue its work in supporting the wider aviation industry.