Lilium is building a certification test facility for its eVTOL aircraft and expects it to be operational in late summer. The 26,000-sq-ft rig at its Munich headquarters has been designed with the company’s engineering partner Segula Technologies and will be used for integration and certification testing of the Lilium Jet.
The facility will house a fully assembled example of the aircraft and will be used for testing avionics, flight controls, propulsion systems, and electrical power systems. During the course of the certification campaign, it will simulate flights and verify the aircraft’s performance in different flight profiles.
Because Lilium holds EASA design organization approval, it is qualified to vouch for the conformity of test aircraft and to demonstrate compliance against the applicable certification basis. “The test facility will be a cornerstone of the Lilium Jet certification program, allowing us to test multiple flight missions as well as failure scenarios in a controlled environment on the ground,” said Lilium’s chief technology officer Stephen Vellacott.
The test facility will incorporate an aircraft mounting frame to assess aircraft loads and moment forces to assess the center of gravity, an airflow management system to simulate flight conditions, and charging and cooling equipment for batteries. A 1.2-megawatt blower will be used for aerodynamic testing and can simulate cross- and tailwinds of up to 40 mph.
Lilium is currently assembling the second production-conforming example of the six-passenger Lilium Jet. It intends to start flight testing in late 2024 as it works towards achieving EASA type certification by the end of 2025 and initial deliveries in 2026.