Lilium Jet’s Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) will be Jointly Developed By GKN Aerospace and Lilium .

Lilium - the Urban Air Mobility Pioneer and developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) jet, has signed an agreement with the GKN Aerospace, the world-leading developer of sustainable aerospace technology, to work together to design and build an integrated and certifiable EWIS solution.

From its facility in the Netherlands, GKN Aerospace will build the EWIS hardware sets and support Lilium with on-site installation into the Lilium Jet at Lilium’s final assembly line at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. GKN Aerospace has a significant track record in the design and build of certifiable EWIS solutions within the aerospace industry.

The scope of the collaboration covers the integrated design of the low voltage and high voltage electrical interconnections of the Lilium Jet. This includes :

• integration of all wire bundles in the Lilium Jet;
• integration of the electrical EWIS components into operational systems to safely fly the Lilium Jet; and
• development of innovative high voltage, high power interconnection solutions.

For Lilium, this agreement represents an important step towards final assembly of the conforming aircraft due to begin later this year.

Lilium already has agreements in place for aerostructures, avionics, battery cells, energy management systems, e-motors, propulsion system, aircraft interior and landing gear, among others.

For GKN Aerospace, the partnership aligns perfectly with the company’s mission to be the most trusted and sustainable partner in the sky.

GKN Aerospace is already making significant investments in sustainable aviation, which includes full electric, hybrid-electric, and hydrogen-powered aircraft technology. The Lilium Jet is a valuable addition to GKN Aerospace’s sustainable aircraft portfolio.

Yves Yemsi, Chief Operating Officer at Lilium, said:

“We’re proud to have brought another outstanding aerospace player onto the Lilium Jet team. GKN Aerospace has enormous experience developing certifiable EWIS systems and impressed us with their dedicated offering for the Lilium Jet. We are looking forward to driving ahead on our program with GKN Aerospace at our side.”

John Pritchard, President Business line Civil Airframe at GKN Aerospace commented:

“We are delighted to partner with Lilium; this collaboration provides a great opportunity to leverage and build on the capabilities each company brings. Companies like Lilium will be delivering the solutions that will enable passengers to travel sustainably and help deliver net zero carbon by 2050. We’re proud to be on board and helping that reality come to life with our advanced technology.”

Lilium's certification program progress

2022 has also seen mission-critical successes on our certification program. Lilium's Chief Technology Officer Alastair McIntosh has a detailed overview of the program, aircraft design, and certification, outlining the journey travelled, and what’s next.

Two of those steps came in April as we successfully completed our second EASA Design Organization Approval audit and submitted our Means of Compliance proposals for the Lilium Jet to EASA.

The third DOA was successfully completed on the 15th of December, and the fourth and final audit is targeted for the first half of 2023. The DOA, once granted, will show that Lilium has the capability to develop and certify commercial aircraft - a necessary prerequisite for Lilium to obtain a Type Certification of the Lilium Jet.

Meanwhile, Lilium moved to protect the results of its product development and innovation, the key focus being on propulsion and energy systems, including cell manufacturing technologies.

As of the end of November 2022, Lilium has filed a total of 74 patent applications with the European Patent Office (EPO). Additionally, they have embarked on a patent extension policy, filing patent applications in jurisdictions outside the EPO states, including the U.S. and China.

Source : Lilium