The DARWIN project is being carried out by Honeywell International s.r.o. (project leader), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Pipistrel Vertical Solutions d.o.o. (PVS) and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL).
Honeywell is a global company active in aerospace, transportation systems, automation, and control solutions and the chemical sector. Honeywell Aerospace provides integrated avionics, engines, electrical and mechanical systems, and service solutions to aircraft manufacturers, airlines, military, and space and airport operations. It serves aerospace customers all over the world and provides products for any type of aircraft, from small and unmanned UAS/UAM vehicles, over business jets and regional aircraft, to large long-range aircraft like the Airbus 380.
In the last decade of the 20th century the company made a strategic decision to grow its footprint in Europe, and to set up a European research site in Brno, Czech Republic. The mission was successful. Today the Czech Republic hosts one of the largest Honeywell R&D centres in the world. The Czech Republic is also the home of the Honeywell global Centres Of Excellence (COE) for:
Honeywell is a Member of the SESAR Joint Undertaking and the Clean Sky Joint Undertaking. In both large scale R&T programmes it brings innovations to the cockpit systems of large passenger aircraft (eg. Airbus), business jets (eg. Dassault), but also smaller Part-23 aircraft (eg. Pipistrel, Pilatus), and Urban Air Mobility (eg. Lilium, Pipistrel, Vertical Aerospace). Those R&D activities are supported by Honeywell’s high fidelity top-of-the-art simulation, testing and validation facilities in Czechia, which are also made available for engagements in European research projects.
In DARWIN, Honeywell is the coordinator of the project as well as a (co-)developer of all key technologies.
DLR is the Federal Republic of Germany’s research centre for aeronautics and space. We conduct research and development activities in the fields of aeronautics, space, energy, transport, security and digitalisation. The German Space Agency at DLR plans and implements the national space programme on behalf of the federal government. Two DLR project management agencies oversee funding programmes and support knowledge transfer.
Climate, mobility and technology are changing globally. DLR uses the expertise of its 55 research institutes and facilities to develop solutions to these challenges. Our 10,000 employees share a mission – to explore Earth and space and develop technologies for a sustainable future. By transferring technology, DLR contributes to strengthening Germany’s position as a prime location for research and industry.
In DARWIN, the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance is developing a method for predicting the expected workload along the flight path, in order to dynamically adjust the AI assistance. It will also contribute to future EASA standards on human-AI cooperation and safety aspects.
Pipistrel Vertical Solutions is the R&D and Certification division of Pipistrel. PVS develops its own battery systems, power controllers and electric motors for small and general aviation class of aircraft and is the only company globally to have obtained EASA approval for propulsion-class batteries to be used in aviation for commercial application as part of a Type Certificate.
In its 30 years of experience, Pipistrel has grown from an enthusiastic hobby hang-glider garage manufacturer into a world-renowned small aircraft producer, recognized by leading global aviation authorities. Their vision is to shape the future of aviation by developing and delivering cutting-edge solutions, which are personalized, safe, environmentally friendly and enable affordable ways of flying to everyone.
EUROCONTROL is a pan-European, civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation by delivering technical excellence across the full spectrum of air traffic management (ATM). Its activities touch on operations, service provision, concept development, research and innovation, Europe-wide project implementation, performance improvements, coordination with key aviation players at various levels as well as providing support to the future evolution and strategic orientations of aviation.
The EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub in Brétigny, France leads the Agency’s innovation activities, with particular focus on drones, Urban Air Mobility, aviation sustainability and the application of AI to aviation. It is also a major contributor