Vertical Aerospace selected Hyundai WIA as landing gear partner for Valo

Vertical Aerospace announced a new long-term partnership with Hyundai WIA, a subsidiary of Hyundai Corporation and a leading mobility and manufacturing company, to supply the landing gear system for Valo, Vertical’s eVTOL aircraft. Under the agreement, Hyundai WIA will develop and manufacture a bespoke landing gear system for Valo, with end-to-end design and production responsibility. Stirling Dynamics, a UK-based engineering company with more than 30 years’ experience supporting certified aircraft programmes, will support Hyundai WIA as a key design partner.

Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, commented: “As we advance toward certification and industrialization, securing world-class suppliers remains central to our strategy. Hyundai WIA brings deep expertise in advanced manufacturing and high-integrity systems, further strengthening the industrial foundation supporting Valo’s path to commercial service.”

Ho-Young Lee, Vice President of Hyundai WIA, stated: “We are proud to partner with Vertical Aerospace on the Valo programme and support the development of next-generation electric aviation. We look forward to working closely with Vertical and Stirling Dynamics to deliver a robust, innovative landing gear solution that meets the highest safety standards and performance.”

Hyundai WIA’s lightweight, technically mature landing gear solution, combined with decades of advanced manufacturing and mobility experience, makes the company a strong partner for Vertical’s next-generation aircraft. The partnership further strengthens Vertical’s supplier ecosystem as the Company advances toward certification and commercialization of Valo.

Vertical has now secured key suppliers across major aircraft systems, including Honeywell (flight control and aircraft management systems), Aciturri (airframe structures), Evolito (electric propulsion units), Syensqo (composite materials), and Isoclima (transparencies). The Hyundai WIA agreement marks another important step in establishing a world-class aerospace supply chain for scaled production.

The announcement follows Vertical’s successful completion of two-way piloted transition flight, a key technical milestone validating the aircraft’s technology and core operating mode. Vertical is now progressing toward Critical Design Review, which establishes the certifiable design baseline and enables the build and test of certification-conforming aircraft. Completion of CDR will lock key design elements, supply chain configuration and certification partner selection ahead of full-scale certification testing and commercial production.