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Lilium's Jet With 36 Electric Motors to Fly With Honeywell Avionics and Controls

The last time we’ve heard anything about German startup Lilium and its efforts to create a uniquely designed jet air taxi was back in May when we got to see a prototype taking to the sky. And now comes another development.
Lilium Jet 1 photo
Photo: Lilium
There is yet no exact date on when the aircraft will become operational (2025 would be the target year, but one never knows with these things), but this week’s piece of news on this front is an indication that work is progressing.

The Lilium jet is a piece of hardware that can take off either vertically or horizontally, depending on how the huge number of propellers are oriented. There’s 36 of them, by the way, located both on the front and rear of the aircraft, and spun by an equal number of electric motors.

All those elements giving the thing forward motion are enough to push it to a top speed of 300 kph (186 mph) for a maximum flying range of 300 km.

Initially, the aircraft was developed to carry five people, but in the meantime, it has grown (at least on paper) to accommodate a number of seven. Like other designs currently on the drawing board, the jet is to be used for personal air transport.

For it to be able to fly, though, it needs avionics and fly-by-wire control systems. As per an announcement made this week, these will be supplied by Honeywell.

The fly-by-wire will be the one responsible for controlling the jet’s movable parts, including the 36 control surfaces and fans that allow the Lilium to move in this or that direction. As for the avionics, they are responsible for giving the pilot an easy-to-handle user interface, specifically designed for this application.

Before the commercial Lilium gets here, you can have a look at what the whole thing will be all about in the video below.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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