Airbus is collaborating with Massachusetts based aerospace technology specialist Mercury Systems on autonomous and flight control software.

The collaboration will focus on the development of new algorithms and execution environments.

The collaboration will be led by Airbus Defence and Space and Mercury’s Mercury Mission Systems, Mercury’s Geneva based division specialising in mission computing, safety-critical avionics and platform management.

The two companies have already collaborated on a number of separate projects. Mercury has developed a high-performance computing platform for the Airbus A3R automatic air-refueling system onboard the A330 SMART MRTT Tanker aircraft. The company has also contributed equipment and systems for Airbus platforms such as the C295. In 2019, Mercury was awarded Best-Performer for Equipment & Systems by Airbus.

Airbus Defence and Space Executive Vice-President Marketing and Sales Dr. Bernhard Brenner said: “At Airbus we are committed to innovation and pioneering aerospace. By this cooperation we will further strengthen our activities in developing future solutions and products for both piloted or autonomous flying. As Mercury is one of our award-winning suppliers, I am particularly glad that we can extend our successful cooperation with this agreement. This agreement is also another commitment of Airbus to Swiss partners, especially in the security-relevant technology and industry base.”

“This important initiative further solidifies our longstanding relationship with Airbus to drive key advances in secure and trusted autonomous technology,” said Didier Thibaud, Mercury’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “At the intersection of hi-tech and defense, we collaborate with industry leaders like Airbus to deliver the most innovative, purpose-built mission computing solutions that help them meet their business commitments and further their leadership in the global market.”