These units are earmarked for the serial production of the Lilium Jet, an endeavour in regional air mobility developed by the German company, Lilium, which specialises in fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The servo-actuators are essential for operating the 30 electric engines on each Lilium Jet, facilitating the aircraft's shift between vertical take-off and horizontal flight, and back again. This capability demands extremely high performance and response speeds, akin to those required in space exploration missions—a field in which Sener possesses extensive expertise.
Sener plans to continue its support for Lilium by providing servo-actuators for its innovative passenger transport aircraft. Each Lilium Jet will be equipped with 16 servo-actuators, designed and manufactured by Sener in Spain. Having already dispatched the first units for testing, Sener aims to deliver a total of 104 units in 2024 for the aircraft's ground testing and certification flight phases. Subsequently, the company will supply servo-actuators for the jet's mass production.
Iñaki Pinto, Electro-Mechanical Systems Division Director at Sener, said: “We are glad that a company as innovative as Lilium trusts us to make its vision of creating a new model of regional air mobility. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Lilium, with whom we share innovation and excellence as values. We will make available to Lilium our accumulated experience in the field of rotary actuators for the aerospace market, as demonstrated, for example, by our participation in the development of the Earth Return Orbiter of NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission, or the European Space Agency’s CIMR (Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer) mission to observe the temperature, salinity, and concentration of sea ice, among other projects”.
“Servo-actuators are a very important device for the technology of our Lilium Jets and crucial for the aircraft´s transition from vertical to horizontal flight. We are happy to work with Sener as we value their experience with rotary actuators and appreciate the professional cooperation with their dedicated team," added Martin Schuebel, Senior Vice President of Procurement at Lilium.
