Issue 9 2019

Acquisition International - Issue 9 2019 27 Jul19372 Reaching For The Skies! Thanks to its industry-leading innovations and strong market expertise, Skyworks Global has risen to become the world leader in the science and technology of gyronautics, focusing on the design and development of high-performance gyroplanes. Acquisition International Magazine explores the reasons this unique company is recognised with the 2019 Award for Excellence in Specialist Aviation Technology – USA. or more than two decades Skyworks has been developing market-leading, cutting-edge manned and unmanned vertical lift gyroplane technologies. These advanced sustained autorotative flight technologies enable aircraft to be both runway independent and economical, and yet remain unconstrained by the physics-imposed speed, range, and payload limitations of a helicopter. After 25 years of research and development and more than 40 patents issued and more under application, Skyworks is now the undisputed global leader in gyronautics: the science of safety, simplicity, and sustainability applied practically to change the way people and goods move about the globe. Serve public, private, and government clients, Skyworks is able to offer the benefit of its innovation and unique knowledge to influence and enhance a wide range of projects. As a result of the breadth of experience of the firm’s strategic team members, the possess a broad range of access to relevant industry leaders and is able to offer clients a collaborative solution that will meet all their needs, no matter how niche. Recently, Skyworks has entered into a number of industry partnerships which it hopes will enhance its success and experience in the market. Among these is its new partnership with UTVA, a subsidiary of Serbian-Government owned Yugoimport. Together, the two firms intend to develop and manufacture Skyworks’ 5 seat runway independent gyroplane. The Hawk 5 gyroplane combines the safety, reliability and cost effectiveness of fixed wing aircraft with the runway independence of a helicopter. It has a simple, elegant design that reduces much of the complexity associated with rotary wing aircraft, resulting in lower operating costs and higher reliability and making the Hawk 5 particularly well suited to serve delivery, transportation and patrol needs in a wide range of environments including the rugged conditions seen in developing countries. The Hawk 5 will be built at UTVA’s 925,000 sq. ft. facility at Pancevo Center in Serbia, which has a rich tradition of aircraft manufacturing. Offering highly sophisticated production and system capabilities from a trained labor force of qualified aerospace professionals operating within an economically competitive region, UTVA’s 80+ years of demonstrated manufacturing excellence well-positions both companies to capitalize on and meet the demand for safe, low-cost runway independent aircraft. In addition to manufacturing its own aircraft, UTVA has achieved ISO 9001 quality assurance certification and has been certified by Boeing since 1990 as an airframe parts and assemblies manufacturer. As a Boeing certified supplier, the center has produced machined and sheet metal aircraft parts, tools and assemblies, including slats, wing tips and F floor supports, for Boeing 737, 747 and 757 aircraft. The other development that will drive Skyworks to even greater success is its recently announced partnership with Scaled Composites (Scaled) to collaborate on the design, build, and test of a prototype of the Skyworks VertiJet™. The VertiJet is a runway independent aircraft that can take-off and land vertically and hover like a helicopter. Leveraging technology from the British Rotodyne and the DARPA Heliplane program - VertiJet will incorporate technologies that were successfully designed and developed by Skyworks in the Heliplane program to achieve an estimated top speed of 400 mph and a range of 1000 nm. Past DARPA- funded design and risk reduction experiments from the Heliplane program will be leveraged to reduce risk and to accelerate the VertiJet prototype design. The VertiJet adapts Skyworks’ proprietary Heliplane technology for the civil aviation, defense, and homeland security markets. Skyworks envisions VertiJet to be a replacement for helicopter and tiltrotor aircraft configurations in markets where speed, range, and cost-efficiency are important. VertiJet’s unique, patented design elements reduce the complexity, as well as the high operating costs, normally associated with rotary wing aircraft while offering extraordinary performance with a safe platform. The specific size of the initial demonstrator is not yet fixed, but Skyworks and Scaled are considering a demonstrator that ranges in size from a light aircraft for four passengers to a utility aircraft that can carry 8-12 passengers. Through its strong industry knowledge and these partnerships in its portfolio, Skyworks has come to believe that there has never been a more exciting time to be in the aviation industry than now. Scores of companies, including traditional large players such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus and Bell, as well as dozens of smaller aviation companies and start-ups, are all investing billions of dollars in developing new, innovative concepts. Be it electrified air taxis, stealthy drones, or game changing vertical lift concepts, a whole new exciting world of aviation potential is infolding, and Skyworks is proud to be at the very cutting- edge of the latest innovations and able to support clients with these new and exciting projects moving forward. Ultimately, through the use highly advanced technology and modern aerospace science, engineering, and design methods, Skyworks continues to strive to make air travel safer, more cost-efficient and effective. This will remain central to the firm’s work as it looks towards a bright future. Company: Skyworks Global Name: John Michel Website: www.skyworks-Global.com