Aerospace Leaders Aernnova, Leonardo and AFuzion Will Partner With Radia to Build WindRunner™, World’s Largest Aircraft

Colorado Company Is Designing the Aircraft for its Primary Mission: To Deliver Giant, Highly Efficient Onshore Wind Turbine Blades In Order To Expand Wind Energy, and Achieve Climate Goals

Originally published on BUSINESS WIRE

Three aerospace leaders – Aernnova, Leonardo and AFuzion – will partner with Radia on WindRunner™, the world’s largest aircraft. Radia is developing WindRunner to deliver the largest, most efficient wind turbine blades, expand the reach of wind energy and transform its economics, enabling the world to meet its climate goals.

The companies are joining Radia’s innovation ecosystem. They will be available to discuss the partnerships at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow.

Aernnova will partner with Radia on the development of the aircraft’s wing and engine pylons. Leonardo will develop the fuselage. AFuzion will provide safety and certification consulting.

The partnership agreements are the latest step forward for WindRunner, an aircraft designed for its primary mission: To fly large turbine blades – up to 105m in length, longer than a football pitch – directly to wind farm sites, landing on semi-prepared dirt runways as short as 1,800m (6,000 ft). It will overcome logistical barriers that today prevent the expansion of onshore wind energy. Wind turbines become more effective and efficient the larger they are. But long turbine blades are extremely difficult and expensive to move by ground transport because literal roadblocks – bridges, tunnels and road curves – get in the way.

WindRunner will fly over these roadblocks, enabling the deployment of the largest, most efficient onshore wind turbines today and the even larger ones of the future – what Radia calls GigaWind™.

The result will be widespread availability of consistent, lowest-cost clean energy in more locations and at industrial scale for the grid, green fuel production including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and commercial power users such as data centers and hyperscalers. The market for onshore wind energy is estimated at up to $10 trillion by 2050 – as many as 1 million wind turbines.

Partners Will Help Radia Fulfill Its Mission and Can Seize a New Opportunity for Aerospace

“WindRunner is an opportunity for the aerospace industry to have a decisive impact on climate change, diversify into the energy industry and seize an enormous market opportunity,” said Mark Lundstrom, Radia’s CEO. “We are extremely pleased and excited that Aernnova, Leonardo and AFuzion – three companies at the forefront of aerospace design, development, and engineering – have chosen to partner with us on this critically important project.”

Partners Attracted by Scope and Ambition of Project, Importance of its Goals, Say Aernnova, Leonardo and AFuzion Executives

“We are excited and proud to participate in the world’s largest aircraft, especially in view of its mission,” said Ricardo Chocarro, CEO of Aernnova. “Based on my previous experience in this sector of the wind turbine industry, I can affirm the importance of the solution that WindRunner provides. The agreement with Radia for the development of the WindRunner project positions us in the wing and engine pylon design and manufacturing support, recognizing our expertise for the design and development of this ambitious project.”

Stefano Bortoli, Leonardo Aerostructures Division MD, said: “The WindRunner initiative is an interesting example of how the aerospace industry continues to provide a key contribution to sustainability, with a range of diversified solutions to the benefit of multiple sectors. Also, Leonardo has a deep experience in the energy sector with its technologies in aviation, including wind farms. Therefore, it gives us great pleasure to support this initiative with our established aerostructure engineering know-how and capabilities.”

“WindRunner must operate safely in a wide range of operating environments,” said AFuzion CEO Vance Hilderman. “And the urgency of the climate crisis demands that it move systematically through the certification process so that it can enter into service. AFuzion is eager to bring our capabilities to bear to support WindRunner’s progress from design all the way through to deployment.”

Aerospace Can Help Make Renewables Viable and Climate Goals Achievable

“WindRunner is exciting and consequential,” said Lundstrom, “not only because of the scope of the project but also because of its critical importance to the viability and the economics of renewable energy and society’s ability to meet our growing need for power while achieving our climate goals. Our partnership with Aernnova, Leonardo and AFuzion will enable us to deliver on that promise, fulfill our mission, and achieve a significant impact on renewables.”

About Radia

Radia is an energy company building a unique aerial transportation solution, the WindRunner, to radically expand the scope and scale of the onshore wind energy industry. Simultaneously, Radia is developing a world-class portfolio of wind energy projects to leverage this solution and partnering with the world’s largest energy and industrial companies to support their energy transition plans. This unique combination of capabilities allows Radia to bring together the ecosystem of stakeholders and partners to enable GigaWind – the largest onshore wind turbines manufactured by our partners deployed to more places to deliver differentiated low-cost clean electricity and, correspondingly, green molecules and synthetic fuels. Radia has been selected both as a World Economic Forum Global Unicorn and as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in their competitive International Selection Panel process.

About Aernnova

Aernnova is a leading company specialized in the design, manufacturing, maintenance, and services of aerostructures and their components such as wings, empennages, fuselages, stabilizers, bulkheads, doors and moving surfaces for the world's leading aircraft manufacturers. Aernnova is a company committed to sustainability, technological development and digitization. Headquartered in Spain, Aernnova is among the world's leading Tier 1 aerostructures suppliers with a global presence through its manufacturing and engineering facilities in Spain, U.K., U.S.A., Portugal, Mexico and Brazil. More information about Aernnova can be found in: www.aernnova.com

About Leonardo

Leonardo is an international industrial group, among the main global companies in Aerospace, Defence, and Security (AD&S). With 53,000 employees worldwide, the company approaches global security through the Helicopters, Electronics, Aircraft, Cyber & Security and Space sectors, and is a partner on the most important international programmes, within these sectors, such as Eurofighter, NH-90, FREMM, GCAP, and Eurodrone. Leonardo has significant production capabilities in Italy, the UK, Poland, and the USA. Leonardo utilises its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and shareholdings, which include Leonardo DRS (72.3%), MBDA (25%), ATR (50 %), Hensoldt (22.8%), Telespazio (67%), Thales Alenia Space (33%), and Avio (29.6%). Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2023 Leonardo recorded new orders for €17.9 billion, with an order book of €39.5 billion and consolidated revenues of €15.3 billion. Included in the MIB ESG index, the company has also been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2010. More information about Leonardo can be found in: www.leonardo.com

About AFuzion

AFuzion specializes in avionics certification training and consulting, providing comprehensive solutions to help companies navigate complex regulatory requirements. With a focus on DO-254, AC 20-152A, and A(M)C 20-152A compliance, AFuzion's expert team offers invaluable guidance and training to ensure the development of reliable and safe avionics hardware.

Contacts

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