- November 2022
Natilus Partners with Janicki to Design, Fabricate and Provide Quality Assurance of Primary Composite Structures for the Natilus 3.8T Prototype
SAN DIEGO (November 30, 2022) – Natilus, a U.S. corporation, is producing the world’s first purposefully designed and manufactured autonomous aircraft for air freight transport. As a big step forward, Natilus has partnered with Janicki for composite part design and fabrication, due to their renowned reputation for innovation and quality workmanship as a tier 1 supplier. Through Natilus’ design and development of a mostly composite, blended-wing body, autonomous aircraft, the company will provide customers with double the cargo volume for each trip, while simultaneously reducing up to 60% of today’s cargo transport cost. On top of the customer benefits, the technology and unique shape of the blended wing body also thrusts aerospace toward a greener future with a 50% reduced carbon footprint per vehicle, and a clear path to zero emissions with hydrogen. Natilus’ N3.8T is scheduled to fly in 2024.
“We selected Janicki because they are a family-owned and operated company, founded and run by engineers with the highest qualifications and experience in designing large-scale, high-precision prototypes, tools and production parts,” said Natilus CEO Aleksey Matyushev.
“Janicki is pleased to partner with Natilus on the 3.8T prototype. Autonomous aircraft are the future of the air freight industry, and we are very excited to be working on this leading-edge project,” said John Janicki, president of Janicki.
Environment Stewards
Janicki also shares the Natilus commitment to produce the most advanced and sustainable products, while being responsible stewards of our environment, instituting practices that protect the environment through continual improvements to save fuel and water, reduce waste, air emissions, noise, and material consumption. In 2011, Janicki worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to create a low-cost waste treatment plant, later establishing their sister company, Sedron Technologies. Sedron continues to develop cost-effective waste and water treatment solutions globally.
Janicki is a privately owned engineering and manufacturing company, specializing in advanced composite materials and exotic metals. With large-scale facilities and high precision equipment, Janicki produces parts, tools, and assemblies for aerospace, marine, energy, space, military, architectural and transportation customers. Janicki’s proprietary 5-axis CNC machines are unrivaled in scale and precision, with machining envelopes up to 100 feet in length. As a full-service engineering company, Janicki specializes in large, complex projects with demanding timelines. For more information, visit www.janicki.com.
Natilus was co-founded by Aleksey Matyushev and Anatoly Star in 2016 to expand and democratize the air cargo transport industry by designing and manufacturing a new fleet of blended wing body (BWB) autonomous freight aircraft that will increase volume by 60% and lower costs by 60%, while reducing carbon emissions by 50%. Natilus aircraft use existing ground infrastructure and standard air cargo containers, to produce an innovative turnkey solution for customers.
The Natilus family of cargo aircraft includes:
- 3.8 ton payload short-haul feeder UAV
- 60 ton payload medium/long range UAV
- 100 ton payload long-range UAV
Natilus Fact Sheet: https://natilus.co/natilus-faqs/
Media Kit: https://natilus.co/media-kit/