Boeing Co invested more than $450 million to support the development of a future pilotless flying taxi known as Wisk Aero.
California-based Wisk is owned by Boeing and Kitty Hawk – the air vehicle company launched by Google co-founder Larry Page.
“Our view is the huge strategic advantage of Wisk, going straight to the aircraft itself, building on those principles at every level of design and development,” Boeing Chief Strategy Officer Marc Allen told Reuters on Tuesday (1/25/2022).
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Development of the next-generation eVTOL aircraft by independent startups and several aerospace groups is targeted for operation by 2024. However, Boeing declined to provide details on when the Wisk's sixth-generation passenger vehicle would be put into service.
Boeing says the Wisk will be the first autonomous passenger transport vehicle to be certified in the United States. In a statement, Wisk said Boeing's $450 million investment would make it “one of the most well-funded companies”.
