Vertical Aerospace 的下一步：首席执行官 Stuart Simpson 谈认证、增长与战略合作伙伴
Vertical Aerospace’s next moves: CEO Stuart Simpson on certification, growth and strategic partners
打开原文Vertical Aerospace 正推进 Valo eVTOL 的关键设计审查，这是其获得适航认证的重要步骤。公司同时扩大电池生产能力并开发混合动力系统，显示其在技术与生产方面的布局。此信息表明企业正在积极准备产品进入市场阶段。
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Vertical Aerospace is approaching a major technical milestone in the development of its Valo eVTOL, with aircraft-level critical design review (CDR) targeted for completion before Christmas. Alongside the certification programme, the company is expanding battery manufacturing capability and continuing work on a hybrid powertrain.
Speaking to Vertical Plus, CEO Stuart Simpson described completing CDR as Vertical’s biggest immediate priority. Despite having fewer than 500 employees, the company has already secured the major complex and long-lead-time suppliers for Valo, with recent agreements covering remaining elements including navigation equipment and seating.
Simpson said the programme remains on track to complete CDR before Christmas. The review should also give Vertical greater visibility of aircraft costs, which he said were broadly where expected, and enable more detailed discussions with customers about launch locations, timing, payload and range.
Technical work is meanwhile extending beyond the all-electric aircraft. Vertical is developing battery manufacturing capacity and continuing hybrid powertrain testing, with results supporting performance calculations and providing further technical insights.
Certification remains centred on Europe. The UK Civil Aviation Authority is the lead because Vertical is based in Britain, but the company is working towards certification jointly with EASA. With the CAA following SC-VTOL, Simpson described this as a parallel programme rather than a sequential CAA-then-EASA process. Vertical also maintains regular contact with the FAA and expects US approval to follow European certification.
Former Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Fabrice Brégier became Vertical’s chair in September. He was joined on the board in October by Clyde Woltman, former CEO of Leonardo Helicopters US and a retired US Marine Corps colonel. On October 21, Vertical appointed Marc Fontaine, CEO of Helsing France and a former senior Airbus executive, as a non-executive director.
Simpson said the US has always been central to Vertical’s plans. The company has presented Valo and potential routes in New York and Miami and has consistently said its second full-scale manufacturing facility will be in the US. At the same time, Vertical remains UK-based, with substantial European supply-chain relationships and London among its planned launch locations.
Capital efficiency is also shaping industrialisation. Simpson pointed to Vertical’s aircraft assembly facility, where refurbishing an existing building for less than $2 million provides planned production capacity through 2030.
Financial considerations remain in the background. Vertical has time to address NYSE minimum-price compliance, with a reverse share split among the available options, while its process with Jefferies is evaluating strategic and financial alternatives. Although Simpson would not discuss that private process in detail, he said the company’s growing technical and organisational maturity makes this the right time for those discussions.
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来源：Vertical Mag eVTOL 专栏 · verticalmag.com