PRESS RELEASE Tel-Aviv, 15 January 2010
Urban Aeronautics’ AirMule Completes First Phase of Flight Testing
The AirMule (formerly MULE), a single-engine, VTOL Cargo and MedEvac UAS developed by Urban Aeronautics, Ltd, has successfully completed the first phase of its flight testing. This phase has consisted of autonomous hovers with the vehicle’s Fly-By-Wire control system providing the necessary auto-stabilization in all three rotational axes of the vehicle (Pitch, Roll and Yaw).
Control of the vehicle is accomplished through a company developed, four channel, redundant flight control system that relies almost entirely on inertial measurements augmented by GPS for translational position and velocity readings. Height above ground is measured by two laser altimeters. 460 channels of telemetry provide real-time data to the ground based operators, enabling them to monitor the correct operation of the Turbomeca Arriel1 730 horsepower turbo-shaft engine as well as sub-systems. These include the three company developed gearboxes, the two main lift rotors with their hydraulic pitch change mechanism and three uplink and downlink communication channels.
Results from the tests have confirmed the company’s predictions regarding power required for hover. The present hover height of approximately 60 cm (2 feet) is just outside of ground effect for this particular configuration. Based on an initial assessment of the vehicle’s available control power under actual conditions it has been demonstrated that the AirMule’s vane control system which is used for roll and yaw control is already generating in excess of 2.0 Radians/sec^2 of roll acceleration. This figure is expected to double in the future with additional improvements that are presently being implemented. The significance of these results is the vehicle’s ability to perform hover with very high precision in gusty wind conditions (currently estimated and confirmed by the recent hover tests at 50 knots for the fully developed product).
Based on the success of these initial hover tests the vehicle is now being readied for the next phase which will include vehicle position stabilization in X,Y and height above ground. During this upcoming phase the safety wires that are now connected to the tarmac will be removed.
About Urban Aeronautics
Urban Aeronautics Ltd, is the world leader in developing Fancraft technology. Urban is developing a family of internal rotor (modified ducted-fan) aircraft based on its extensive portfolio of proprietary technologies. Due to their internal rotors, compact design and revolutionary ‘six-degrees-of-freedom’ mobility, these aircraft are uniquely suited to flight inside of cities and other obstructed environments where both fixed wing aircraft and traditional rotorcraft are unable to operate.. Urban’s flagship model, is the AirMule Cargoand MedEvac UAS.
For more information, please visit www.urbanaero.com
Press Contact: Janina Frankel-Yoeli: +972-54-463-3922; janina@urbanaero.com
SEPTEMBER 2009:
On June 2nd we performed our first engine start on the MULE Prototype (a short video of that first engine start is available on our ‘Film and Downloads’ page). Since then, the vehicle has been tested numerous times and has accumulated a few hours of running time on its transmissions, shafts and lift rotors operating at their nominal take-off power rating. Initial testing was performed with the vehicle firmly tied to two 500 kilogram ballast weights that are placed on the tarmac to prevent the vehicle from taking off inadvertently. Recently, we have released some of the tethers to enable the MULE to become ‘light on the skids’ with an occasional low height (a few centimeters) clearance just to make sure the full weight is on the rotors.
So far there are very few problems with the gearboxes, shafts and rotors. Even in the current 30- 35 degree (Celsius) outdoor temperatures everything is ‘in the green’.
Even though we are currently at a slight delay in our originally planned timetable, we plan to continue to be conservative and put more ground and ‘light on skids’ test time before getting fully airborne. We expect the latter to occur before the end of the year. We will keep you updated…
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After two years of extensive work, the MULE demonstrator was finally transferred on June 1st to an airstrip in central Israel, where it has already started a series of ground tests in preparation for its hover testing.
In parallel, we are preparing to go to the Paris Airshow where we will display a partial full-scale mockup of the MULE as well as our Panda sub-scale flight test vehicle. We welcome all visitors to come and see us at the Israel Pavilion.
The MULE demonstrator is almost ready to leave the nest and we will soon be taking it to a test site (a small airfield not far from our facility).
Since our last update in January we have completed a number of milestones in the construction of the MULE and the design of its FCS (Flight Control System):
- A complete vehicle static load test was performed in which the MULE’s structural integrity was tested. The airframe was loaded to 150% of its maximum takeoff weight and normal 1G loading in hover and low-speed flight. This computes to a total of 2,400x1.5=3,600 lbs. The structure withstood the static loads successfully, clearing the way for the first hovers and low speed flights.
- The recently completed power distribution system, (including the three specially designed gearboxes, drive shafts and two lift rotors), was recently run at full RPM using a powerful electric motor that turned the complete system in unison. This test provided valuable data that is being used to fine-tune the pressure lubrication system of the gearboxes in view of the upcoming full power tests.
- The GCU (Ground Control Unit) that monitors all telemetry while controlling the uplink and downlink communication with the MULE during flight is nearing completion and already being used continuously to monitor PANDA’s test flights. PANDA now has the complete FCS and sensors suite of the MULE installed and is getting its last fine-tuning before installation in the MULE for the upcoming flight tests.
Since our last update in August 2008 we’ve made good progress in our MULE program and are now in the process of assembling our first test aircraft. The technical milestones completed since August include:
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Static testing of components (vanes, supports)
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Construction of exhaust deflector to deflect engine exhaust upward
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Static and dynamic test of the hydraulic lift rotors blade pitch actuators
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Full FCS suite is now being test flown on the Panda test-bed
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Manufacture of all transmission components, delivery of all shafts, and couplings (Main transmissions are now being assembled)
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The fuselage has been removed from its construction jig and is now resting on the skids
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First mating of the Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 turboshaft engine to the airframe
In addition, we are in the process of sensor integration into our flight control computer (including air data, height above ground, temperatures, pressures, etc). Final assembly of mechanical, electrical fuel and FCS hardware is underway. We plan to complete assembly by the end of February and to perform the first ground engine runs in March.
We have also designed a new variant on the basic MULE design that meets a need that has emerged on the part of some potential customers for a high speed (200-250 knots) cargo UAV. While this design lacks some of the advantages of our flagship MULE design (i.e. mechanical simplicity and compact CH-53 and EH-101 transportability) we expect that it will meet this challenging speed requirement. As we post this update a powered model of this configuration is undergoing preliminary Wind Tunnel testing.
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AUGUST 2008: Last month, following a series of tests limited to hover and slow flight, we began forward flight testing of the Panda unmanned Fancraft™. Data from the forward flight testing will be used to verify the vehicle's maximum attainable cruise speed as well as its planned endurance and range. This data is also being used to refine the design of our Mule logistic support vehicle.
The construction of the Mule’s composite fuselage is well underway. We have completed the all-composite right hand side, shown below, with the center section being added to the fuselage assembly jig. The left side of the fuselage will then be added and installation of the vehicle’s engine, power distribution system and all other installations and systems will begin. The Mule's first flight is planned for April 2009.
We are also happy to announce that the first set of lift rotors for the Mule have recently been delivered. These rotors are 1.8m in diameter, five bladed with variable pitch, each rated for 400 shp and developed specifically for the Mule project by Aerocomposites Inc. (www.aerocomposites.com)
In parallel, we are continuing with the design and fabrication of the vehicle’s main gearboxes and sub systems and will report progress in a few weeks, including some pictures that we will post of the newly fabricated gearboxes.
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JUNE 2008: Below are some images from the American Helicopter Society Forum 64 held April 29th -May 1st in Montreal Canada. In our booth we displayed a model of X-Hawk™, a model of the Mule and the actual Panda prototype. In parallel to the Fancraft™ models displayed at UrbanAero’s booth, Bell Helicopter’s booth (across the aisle from UrbanAero’s) and also Penn-State University’s booth had X-Hawk™ displays of their own. Meetings held with customers, potential partners and leaders of the helicopter industry were very successful. |
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FEBRUARY 2008: Urban Aeronautics and the TATA Group have signed a Memorandum of Agreement whereby Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. will be UrbanAero’s partner in India to jointly develop the market for our unmanned Fancraft™. We are also exhibiting our technology at the TATA booth at DEFEXPO 2008 Feb.16-19. Click here to go to the press release. |
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Our experimental, PANDA Fancraft™ is now in flight testing. PANDA is providing valuable flight test data that validates it's design, as well as that of the MULE and other FancraftTM that might be developed based on UrbanAero’s technology. A short movie of the PANDA in hover can be downloaded from the ‘Film and Download’ page of the website or click here to download.
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The MULE is advancing as planned, with the composite tooling (male & female) completed. In addition, the first of two Turbomeca, Arriel 1D1 engines that will power the two demonstrators being developed, has arrived at our premises. Following recent visits by a number of officers from the Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, an officer has formally been appointed to be the liaison between the Medical Corps and Urban Aeronautics with regard to the development of Urban’s MULE UAV. According to the IDF’s Medical Corps, their interest in UrbanAero’s MULE UAV stems directly from the lessons learned after the recent Lebanon war. One of these lessons points to an urgent need to facilitate the provision of supplies and medical equipment to remote units in areas inaccessible to helicopters, as well as a need to evacuate casualties and wounded from these same areas. It is expected that in the next few months, the design of the vehicle’s payload bays, which double as rescue cabins for wounded soldiers, will be defined in accordance with valuable inputs from the IDF’s Medical Corps.
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Finally, UrbanAero will be displaying its technology in the upcoming AHS Forum 64 (April 29th -May 1st) in Montreal Canada. Click here to download the AHS invitation |
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SEPTEMBER 2007: Ever since our last update in June, most of the work on our X-HawkTM program has been spent on the cockpit, Flight Control System and Control Law development. We have prepared a short video clip describing our 5m diameter dome X-HawkTM simulator in action, downloaded now from the ‘Film and Download’ page of this website. As can be seen in the video clip, the simulator is used not only for direct design purposes (cockpit layout, grips, control laws, FCS) but also to investigate the operational aspect of FancraftTM such as X-HawkTM inside the Urban Canyon, even when several vehicles (flown by separate pilots) need to be working alongside each other in the same mission. On our ‘Mule’ UAV meanwhile, design and construction are progressing on all fronts, and we have now also launched the composites tooling effort and will post a picture of the Mule’s master tool once it is completed. A new venture that we are getting involved with (in parallel to X-HawkTM and Mule) is an electrically powered vehicle, much smaller than Mule, designated Panda. Panda is 1.5m (4.9ft) long and 0.8m wide. It has a maximum take-off weight ranging from 15kg (33lb) to to 22 Kg (48lb), depending on battery type and capacity, yielding a typical endurance range of 30-45 minutes with a useful payload capacity of 1.5kg . The two rotors have a diameter of 0.5m, each having its own electric engine. This UAV is intended to be carried and deployed from a Humvee-class vehicle. The Panda is intended for use in urban intelligence missions. We will have more news on the Panda project soon and post it on this website.
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JUNE 2007: Work is continuing on both Urban’s ‘in-house’ X-Hawk demonstrator and our ‘Mule’ UAV project. On X-Hawk, we have completed the master tool for the prototype (click here to see picture) and are setting up the shop to begin creating the set of female molds necessary to construct the vehicle’s all composite structure. Meanwhile, production work at The Purdy Corporation is continuing on the X-Hawk’s PDS (Power Distribution System). Lift rotors are also in production at ACI (www.aerocomposites.com) and are expected to be delivered towards October of 2007. Work is also continuing at Urban on our Fancraft™ FCS (Flight Control System). Our 5m diameter dome simulator is now fully functional and being used as a valuable tool for sizing the cockpit controls and establishing control laws needed for utilizing the unique advantages of the X-Hawk’s FancraftTM configuration. In parallel, work is also continuing on our ‘Mule’ UAV. We have the turbo-shaft engine for the prototype on order and will soon start constructing the vehicle’s composite structure tooling. The FCS for the ‘Mule’ has a high degree of commonality with that used on X-Hawk, so we are able to advance nicely on both fronts simultaneously and save development time. This commonality also assists the accomplishment of another important design consideration for the ‘Mule’: making certain it is ‘Man-Rated’ for eventual utilization as a MedEvac vehicle. |
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| NOVEMBER 2006: The last three months since our return from the Farnborough Airshow were devoted to the establishment of our new premises in the industrial park of Yavne—15 miles south of Tel-Aviv. The spacious 800 square meter floor accommodates our composite workshop, vehicle integration area, offices and flight simulator lab area. The simulator is as of today already partially operational and work is continuing on its improvement. We will post a separate update on the simulator once it is fully functional—hopefully in our next update. For now, a glimpse of the 5m diameter dome, mounted on the moving base (in pitch) and the control console can be seen on the pictures accompanying this update. In parallel, technical work is continuing on our X-Hawk demonstrator, with the fuselage master tool almost completed and lift rotors and transmissions entering production this month. An additional, smaller vehicle that we term ‘Mule’ is presently being contemplated by us in addition to X-Hawk. This vehicle will be predominantly unmanned and will be capable of carrying 220kg of useful load with fuel for two hours. The primary role of the ‘Mule’ will be to carry equipment and supplies to the battlefield and potentially have the capability of flying back two wounded soldiers. Similar to X-Hawk, the ‘Mule’ has internal fans, enabling it to land and takeoff vertically almost anywhere, including obstructed battlefield zones such as wooded areas, canyons and built up areas. A data sheet on the ‘Mule’ can be downloaded from the ‘Film and Downloads’ section and a recent press clip in the ‘Press Clippings’ section. We will have additional updates on the ‘Mule’ in the next few months.
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JULY 25, 2006– We have just returned from the Farnborough International Air Show, where a full-scale model of the X-Hawk™ Fancraft™ was on display for the whole week of July 17-23 at the Bell Helicopter (www.bellhelicopter.textron.com) pavilion. Thousands of visitors had the opportunity to see what the X-Hawk™ military version will look like, meet some of the individuals involved with this program and learn more about Fancraft™ technology. Bell Helicopter and Urban Aeronautics have been collaborating in the last year in an effort to obtain U.S. Govt. funding for the development of a military version of UrbanAero’s X-Hawk for use primarily as a combat troop carrier. The VLRCOE (Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence) at Penn State University (http://www.aero.psu.edu/) is also involved in this U.S. based initiative. We will update this website with additional details as soon as they become available for release
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JUNE 2006: Mr. Ovadia Harari, who has recently retired from Israel Aircraft Industry as Executive VP and COO, has joined Urban Aeronautics Ltd. as the Chairman of the Board. Mr. Harari’s career spans more than three decades, beginning at IAI as a preliminary design engineer and subsequently fulfilling numerous roles at IAI including Director of Aeronautical Sciences and Preliminary Design, Chief Engineer and Project Manager for the LAVI fighter aircraft and Corporate VP and General Manager of the military aircraft group and in the last 10 years Executive VP and COO of the company. Mr. Harari is a two time recipient of the Israel Defense Prize and laureate of the Israel Prize for Engineering and Technology. Mr. Harari has a B Sc. and M Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering from the Technion in Haifa, Israel. |
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MAY 2006: While work back home is continuing on the technical front, extensive efforts are underway to create a presence in the U.S. market, highlighted by our appearance in the recent AAAA (Army Aviation Association of America) show in Nashville, TN (April 9-11, 2006), followed by the AHS (American Helicopter Society) Forum 62 in Phoenix, AZ (May 9-12, 2006). Interest in a potential military version of X-Hawk was significant, as was the attendance at a presentation given on May 9th at the AHS Forum under the title: "X-Hawk: Transformational Mobility For The Urban Warfighter" presented by Jon Tatro of Bell Helicopter, who together with David Samples of Bell Textron and Rafi Yoeli of Urban Aeronautics were the three co-authors of the paper presented at the Forum. |
X-Hawk at the AAAA show (April 9-11) |
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UrbanAero's company demonstrator work is advancing as planned. We are presently engaged in completion of the production tooling for the main lift fans, getting the transmission system past CDR and into production, initiating the design of the thrusters, construction of a master tool for the aircraft and establishing a basic real-time pilot-in-the-loop simulations for evaluating the parameters associated with operating the X-Hawk inside the Urban Canyon. The 6-DOF simulation is presently implemented in MATLAB® - Simulink® driving Laminar Research's X-Plane®, operating in IG mode. |
X-Hawk at the AHS Forum no.62 (May 9-12). Shown from left are: Jon Tatro, Dr. John Zuk, Prof. Ed Smith and Dr. Rafi Yoeli |
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X-Hawk Simulation Sequence |
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| DECEMBER 2005: Work is continuing both on technical as well as business development aspects of our program. A significant technical advancement since our last update has been the successful completion of first phase 3-axes Wind-Tunnel testing, carried out in August at the University of Arizona in Tucson. A 1:10 scale powered model of X-Hawk was mounted on the tunnel balance and measurements were taken both in hover and forward flight conditions. Various means of lift augmentation were tested and a maximum lift augmentation ratio of 1.18 was achieved for the complete configuration in hover. |
 Model mounting in wind tunnel |
| Initial tests in forward flight, using aerodynamic enhancements necessary to obtain smooth flow into and out of the lift rotor ducts, are indicating a maximum attainable speed of at least 130 Kts. on our future full scale production X-Hawk. More tests are planned for 2006, including measurement of stability coefficients needed for our flight control system effort which is already underway. |
 Measuring fuselage drag |
 Lift rotor analysis in forward flight |
In parallel, work on the full scale X-Hawk company demonstrator is continuing. Aerodynamic analysis of the lift rotors in hover and forward flight was completed, enabling the mechanical design and construction of the main lift rotors. The work has been outsourced to AeroComposites Inc. (www.aerocomposites.com). In a few weeks we plan to subcontract the complete structural design, analysis and construction of the company’s X-Hawk demonstrator fuselage, thruster shrouds, stabilizer and landing gear. A supplier for the thrusters themselves will be chosen shortly after followed by start of detail design and construction of the variable pitch thruster assemblies. (Drawings of the preliminary design are included in this update.) Work on the aircraft’s fuel system and hydraulic system was initiated this month, while transmission design work at The Purdy Corp. is also continuing. |
| A recent presentation by Rafi Yoeli given on October 6th at the SAE International Powered Lift Conference in Grapevine TX highlighted some of the operational aspects and cost benefits of operating future X-Hawks in a mixed-fleet with helicopters. The presentation summarized previous evaluations done at UrbanAero that showed that even if only 20% more missions can be flown annually by X-Hawk compared to a light twin helicopter just by virtue of the enclosed rotors and adverse weather capabilities, then already, for most operators, owning an X-Hawk would create a reduction in total hourly costs of up to 30%, depending on the present level of utilization of the helicopters in their fleet. In direct cash values, the annual savings for an EMS operator using an X-Hawk to replace a helicopter that flew typically 500 hours a year would translate into an added profit of $500,000 per vehicle for each year of operation. This is of course in addition to the extra revenues and profit that the increase in utilization would bring. A copy of the paper can be purchased from the SAE website.
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 Variable Pitch Thruster--two views |
| JULY 2005: From June 1st through 3rd, Urban Aeronautics made its industry debut with a display booth— that included a 1:10 scale model of X-Hawk—at the American Helicopter Society’s (AHS) Forum 61 in Grapevine, Texas. We were extremely gratified to receive an enthusiastic response from the full range of participants. We initiated new relationships with a number of important industry players, academic institutions and government agencies and hope to be able to update you on developments in regard to these relationships in the coming months. |
 AHS Forum 61 |
 Andy Sadanowicz, Rafi Yoeli, Janina Frankel- Yoeli and David Droz at AHS Forum 61 |
All in all, our first appearance at the AHS (http://www.vtol.org/) annual forum was a great success with a constant flow of visitors who wanted to learn more about Urban’s X-Hawk, which they recognize to be an important and long overdue innovation for the rotorcraft industry. Our thanks to everyone at Urban, the Purdy Corporation and the AHS staff who helped to make this event so productive for us. |
| In addition, Rafi Yoeli recently made a trip to London where he gave a
briefing at the Royal London Hospital regarding the benefits of X-Hawk
in the EMS arena. The event was well attended by professionals in the
fields of trauma and pre-hospital care as well as some very experienced
members of the RLH’s Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) (www.hems-london.org.uk). The RLH’s
air ambulance is one of the few in the world that actually operates in
an urban environment so the input of the HEMS team was extremely valuable
and confirmed for us the significant contribution that X-Hawk can make
in this arena. During his London trip, Dr. Yoeli also took the opportunity to meet with professionals who have experience with flight services to the North Sea oil industry. These meetings indicated that X-Hawk, due to its ability to withstand high wind gusts and icing conditions can fill an important niche in this sector by offering an alternative to the large helicopters that are currently the only means of transport and cargo delivery to these off-shore oil rigs. |
 Aerolite's proposed design for the X-Hawk EMS cabin |
On the technical side, work has begun at The Purdy Corporation on our transmission design, and our lift rotors will be outsourced in the next few weeks. In addition we have sent an RFP for the design of master tools and molds to a number of potential contractors. In parallel we are talking to a leading manufacturer of ejections seats to supply us with a "zero-zero" emergency escape system for our prototype aircraft.
For those of you who may be attending, Rafi Yoeli will be giving a paper on The Operational Potential of Manned, Ducted-Fan Vehicles, at the International Powered Lift Conference of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International http://www.sae.org ). The conference is taking place from October 3rd through 6th, 2005 at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas.
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The mid-size X-Hawk has power and space to carry up to 8 passengers and a pilot
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The X-Hawk scale model in our workshop |
That’s it for now. Check back from time to time for more news and updates!
DECEMBER 2004: We have successfully completed the flight tests of our CityHawk concept demonstrator. A total of 10 hover tests were performed, and measurements of data were recorded in real-time for subsequent analysis and evaluation. We have now completed analyzing the data (with special emphasis on control effectiveness in roll with our patented vane control system), and have found very high effectiveness, substantiating our initial estimates, and enabling us to move forward with the development of our X-Hawk prototype aircraft. While we work on recruiting investment for the program we are also making progress on the technical development of the aircraft.
In parallel we are in the process of building our relationships with current and future partners. We have signed an agreement with The Purdy Corporation to design, develop and manufacture the mechanical power distribution systems, and with an engine company, Bet Shemesh Engines , to supply engines for our prototypes. In addition, we are well into the design of the X Hawk's structure and control systems. We hope to be able to fill you in on the details of these and other developments in our next update.
The cooperation between us and our U.S. design partners, UPMC and STAT/MedEvac, continues to benefit the program. In addition Herzlia Medical Center, a leading private hospital in Israel has joined us as our Israeli design partner and has placed the first purchase order for an X-Hawk. We are currently in the process of recruiting additional orders from a number of EMS and general helicopter fleet operators.
Finally, with the design of X-Hawk on its way, we are constantly checking our initial performance estimates, to make sure the aircraft will indeed meet its OEI (One Engine Inoperative) OGE (Out of Ground Effect) hover capability, as well as its maximum forward design speed. Analysis recently performed by Professor Omri Rand of the Aerospace Engineering Faculty of the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel confirm and appear to even exceed our initial estimates.
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| STAT MedEvac's future X-Hawk | Five Passenger X-Hawk | X-Hawk CAD Drawing |
