Donauwörth/Gaimersheim, Germany, November 24th 2020. The aviation start-up Fraundorfer Aeronautics and the design and development company Uedelhoven Studios enter into a strategic partnership. The aim is to bring the new Tensor aircraft into series production and to further develop it for commercial use. The market launch of the first Tensor 600X model is already planned for next year. This aircraft is intended for personal mobility, for example, it can be used to cover business trips of up to 500 kilometers much faster than any other means of transport. By 2023, Fraundorfer Aeronautics will launch the Tensor 800X, a further development of the Tensor 600X. It is intended to be approved under European aviation regulations and to be suitable for commercial use, for example as an air taxi, in logistics or for supply flights to hard-to-reach regions. This is because it can perform these applications much more cost-effectively and efficiently than a helicopter, for example.

The “Tensor” is already a marketable and scalable concept that can fundamentally change air traffic. The aircraft is a completely newly developed “combination gyrocopter” and can fly in areas where previous aircraft have reached their limits. Together, Fraundorfer Aeronautics and Uedelhoven Studios want to revolutionize mobility in the air.

“With the Tensor we are breaking new ground in mobility”, says Christoph Fraundorfer, founder and CEO of Fraundorfer Aeronautics. “In the development of the machine, we have relied on completely new and highly efficient technologies, but we are also very innovative in terms of prototype construction and production. Conventional methods of the aviation industry are often no longer practicable, not economical and too time-consuming. Uedelhoven Studios is exactly the right partner for us. The company is already a leader in design and prototype construction in the automotive industry. Now we are taking off together in the field of Advanced Air Mobility”. The design and development company from Gaimersheim in the south of Germany implements concepts in a few weeks that would take many months using conventional methods from the aviation industry.

Fraundorfer Aeronautics and Uedelhoven Studios have been working together for several years. The two companies now want to take their partnership to a new level. In the first years of cooperation, design and ergonomics were the main focus. In the development of the Tensor 600X, one focus of the cooperation was on combining the high-end simulation methods of Fraundorfer Aeronautics with the goal-oriented concept work and high quality of implementation of Uedelhoven Studios.

“Our common goal is to do pioneering work and to actually serve the field of ‘Advanced Air Mobility’ for the first time”, says Jürgen Uedelhoven, CEO of Uedelhoven Studios. “We also want to take development and production methods to a new level in aviation that has never been seen before. While contributing our expertise in construction, design and prototype construction, we are also learning from Fraundorfer Aeronautics to obtain our certification as an aviation supplier”.

Tensor 600X will shape transport logistics and passenger traffic

The Tensor is about twice as efficient as a comparable helicopter and has a range of 600 kilometers and a maximum cruising speed of 200 km/h. The technology makes it possible to take off practically vertically; it is quiet, easy to handle and inexpensive to fly; the aircraft flies very safely, even in poor weather conditions; it is efficient and designed for alternative propulsion systems and already meets safety standards, the basis for the necessary legal approvals.

The characteristics of the Tensor make this aircraft very suitable for use in urban environments, for example for airport feeder services. But the Tensor’s capabilities also offer great advantages between cities and in regions with weak infrastructure, for example for rescue services, transport flights or disaster control.

Based on its patented technology, the company will be launching a two-seater aircraft for personal air mobility on the market from 2021. This will make aviation a fast, safe, individual and everyday means of transport in the premium mobility market for medium distances between 50 and 600 kilometers. From the middle of the decade, a larger version of the aircraft is also to be launched on the Tensor platform.

The concept of the aircraft is prepared for all forms of future mobility. It is designed for different types of propulsion, such as electric and hydrogen propulsion. Vertical take-off and autonomous operation are also technically possible. “We will use these technologies when the legal framework conditions are in place,” said Fraundorfer.

Successful first flight in January 2020

The “Tensor 600X” from Fraundorfer Aeronautics successfully completed its maiden flight in January 2020 after receiving traffic certification. The technology of the Tensor 600X is the basis for a new, significantly more powerful generation of aircraft. The company aims to establish efficient and environmentally friendly air transportation that is independent of infrastructure on the ground.

About Uedelhoven Studios

Uedelhoven Studios is a globally recognized design and engineering services company. As an established partner of international brands, Uedelhoven Studios realizes concepts and turns today’s visions into tomorrow’s reality. In striving for future-oriented and holistic solutions, the team of experts combines technical ingenuity with functional design aesthetics to create a unique result.

About Fraundorfer Aeronautics AG

Fraundorfer Aeronautics AG is a German technology and aviation company based in Genderkingen near Donauwörth in Bavaria. It has developed and patented a new rotor technology by using the most modern simulation methods, which makes gyrocopters a new, powerful and environmentally friendly alternative to airplanes and helicopters. The company has the vision of flying in areas where it has not been possible before. With its innovative technology, Fraundorfer Aeronautics wants to establish efficient and environmentally friendly locomotion in the air that is independent of infrastructure on the ground. On the basis of its technology, Fraundorfer Aeronautics will launch the “Tensor 600X”, an aircraft for personal air mobility for everyday use, in just a few months.

Behind Fraundorfer Aeronautics are engineers and pilots with many years of experience in the aviation industry and -research. The founder Christoph Fraundorfer (45) started working on the technology that is the basis for the Tensor 600X in 2007. He is an aeronautical engineer and graduate of the renowned “Empire Test Pilots’ School” in England.

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