Airbus UpNext
About
About Airbus UpNext
Airbus UpNext builds flight demonstrators that test emerging aerospace technologies under real operating conditions. Its programmes cover autonomous flight, cooperative control, navigation, propulsion and automated air-to-air refuelling, using modified aircraft and uncrewed systems to validate concepts before they enter mainstream Airbus development.
Demonstrators bring together sensors, flight computers, communications and control algorithms on compressed schedules, generating evidence about technical performance and operational use. Projects have explored autonomous helicopter operations and coordination between tanker aircraft and drones. Airbus UpNext operates as an innovation unit within Airbus, transferring mature results into civil and defence product teams.
Supply
Supply chain relationships
- Aeva Technologies
Inbound - Sensing - Airbus UpNext selected Aeva to supply 4D lidar for the Optimate autonomous taxiing programme
Source
Team
- Michael Augello - Chief Executive Officer
Timeline
Events
- 2025-05-19 - Contract Award - Airbus UpNext selects Aeva 4D lidar for Optimate taxiing programme
Optimate tests multiple lidar sensors on an A350-1000 flight-test aircraft and an electric truck. Taxi trials cover Toulouse-Blagnac and a more complex international airport. Aeva's FMCW lidar measures both distance and velocity for each point in the scene.
Source - 2024-05-21 - Demonstration - Airbus UpNext starts Optimate automatic taxiing and pilot-assistance testing
Airbus UpNext started testing Optimate technologies for automatic taxiing and pilot assistance using an electric truck as the test platform. The three-year project combines automation, computer vision, data fusion and machine learning for future aircraft navigation and safety systems.
Source - 2023-11-06 - Demonstration - Airbus UpNext eXtra Performance Wing demonstrator makes first flight
Airbus UpNext’s eXtra Performance Wing demonstrator completed its first flight. The demonstrator is designed to test future wing technologies and improve aerodynamic performance. This is a lighter robotics/autonomy row but worth keeping for Airbus UpNext’s active flight-demonstrator history.
Source - 2023-03-28 - Capability - Airbus UpNext achieves autonomous guidance and control of drone from tanker aircraft
Airbus Defence and Space and Airbus UpNext demonstrated in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone from an A310 MRTT tanker aircraft. The Auto’Mate tests used DT-25 target drones as receiver aircraft and demonstrated autonomous relative navigation, communication and cooperative control. The event supports Airbus UpNext’s autonomous air-to-air refuelling technology lane.
Source - 2023-01-12 - Demonstration - Airbus UpNext starts DragonFly autonomous pilot-assistance flight tests
Airbus UpNext started ground and in-flight testing of DragonFly pilot-assistance technologies on an A350-1000 test aircraft. The demonstrator covers automated emergency diversion in cruise, automatic landing and taxi assistance.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- Airbus
Parent Company - Airbus UpNext is a wholly owned Airbus subsidiary.
Context
Comparable profiles
- Archer Aviation
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- SkyDrive
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Radical
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Airbus
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Skydio
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Differential Robotics
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- EHang Holdings Limited
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- SPARO / 硅羽科技
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Buoyant Aero
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Icarus
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Robotics 88
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
- Nearthlab
stack adjacency - Aerial Autonomy Builder
Shared workflows
- AutoFlight
workflow adjacency - Urban Air Mobility
- GOVY
workflow adjacency - Urban Air Mobility
- Embraer
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Rocket Lab
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Lockheed Martin
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Kalam Labs
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Hop Aero
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Spaceium
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Elodin
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Cascade Space
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Navier AI
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
- Basalt
workflow adjacency - Aerospace Autonomy Innovation
Context tags
- Aerial autonomy technology stack - Stack Layer - Aerial autonomy builder for urban air mobility and autonomous flight
- Aerospace autonomy innovation - Workflow - Aerospace autonomy innovation for next-gen flight technologies
- Urban air mobility - Workflow - Urban air mobility research and flight demonstrators
- Aerospace robotics companies - Peer Group - Aerospace robotics peer group for autonomous aviation platforms
Commercial
- Airbus UpNext selects Aeva 4D lidar for Optimate taxiing programme
2025-05-19 · Order / contract · Airbus UpNext selected Aeva 4D lidar for Optimate autonomous aircraft taxiing trials.
Source