Honeywell Introduces New Drone Business Unit

Aerospace giant Honeywell strengthens its position in the growing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market with a new business unit that will develop and build unmanned aerial systems and urban air mobility solutions.

On Monday, US aerospace, building technologies and safety and productivity solutions developer Honeywell announced the launch of a new division that will be in charge of the company’s considerable efforts in the development of UAV solutions. "Urban Air Mobility and Unmanned Aerial Systems will play an increasing role in the future of aerospace, with potential applications in all-electric urban air taxi vehicles, hybrid-electric unmanned cargo drones, optionally piloted airplanes, delivery drones and everything in between," said Mike Madsen, President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace.

The new division will concentrate Honeywell’s current efforts in this growing market, which was valued at US$19.3 billion in 2019 by MarketsandMarkets and is expected to show a 15.5 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by 2025. Honeywell already has significant experience in the development of technology for the UAV market through the development of electronic systems for autonomous flight, avionics, navigation and connectivity. The aerospace company has also worked with automotive technology developer DENSO to create electric and hybrid propulsion systems for urban mobility vehicles. "By forming this new organization, we will be able to harness the power of our engineering resources and know-how to transform urban air taxis, drone delivery of parcels and all forms of autonomous flight from a future vision into an everyday reality," said Stéphane Fymat, Vice President and General Manager of the Urban Air Mobility and Unmanned Aerial Systems division at Honeywell.

The new unit will also develop new technology, services and software for these markets in accordance to customer’s needs. Some of the technology that will be developed and tested includes a "fly-by-wire" autopilot system, detect-and-avoid algorithms and artificial intelligence software to track landing zones. Honeywell has been heavily investing in boosting its R&D capabilities through the construction of specialized business units and research and development centers. The company inaugurated one of these centers in Mexico City in 2017 to develop solutions for commercial aviation. Honeywell also has several plants in the country for its aerospace, building technology, productivity solutions and work safety solutions, employing over 12,000 people.