Project MONET Announcement
Swift Aircraft is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a contract with the UK MoD to help support the RAF’s path to a sustainable aviation future. Project MONET will demonstrate technologies that have the potential to deliver net zero emissions in flight and the Swift provides an unrivalled test bed for the project; digitally designed to use a variety of power plants, the aircraft is able to demonstrate measurable real-world performance characteristics with its chosen green power sources.
The RAF has already taken significant steps towards building a sustainable aviation future, and Project MONET will extend this by researching a range of technologies and developing these for the future. As part of the RAF’s net zero 2040 programme, the challenge of Project MONET is to inform the development of a net zero aircraft fleet with the equivalent performance and endurance of the RAF’s existing Tutor training aircraft. The Tutor currently supports the training of front-line aircrew, university Air Squadron Cadets and RAF Air Cadets air experience flight. To deliver this, Swift Aircraft has plotted a spiral development path that will demonstrate the aircraft capabilities of the Swift and follow this with the transition to a sustainable power system.
Swift Aircraft’s intention from the outset has been to produce a sustainable British aircraft that could lead the way across the globe in military and commercial aviation. This has always been at the forefront of the design process and project MONET is complementary to this goal. We are already aware that battery technology alone may not be adequate to meet the RAF’s operational requirements and will therefore be including two alternative innovative options in our Research and Development programme. Keen to show the UK as leaders in this arena, we have selected two British-based partners to join us on the journey - details of our technology and Partners will be released in the near future.
The Swift aircraft programme is already well underway. It has been in the making for over a decade, and we were granted a DASA Innovation Loan in September 2022 to further support development. Project MONET will run in parallel with this.
David Stanbridge, founder and MD of Swift AIrcraft comments: "We are delighted to be awarded this contract with the MoD; it's a privilege to be involved in the RAF’s path to a net zero future under the 2040 Programme. Swift Aircraft is taking significant steps towards building a sustainable aviation future and the objectives of Project MONET are complementary to our goals. The Swift is a future proof aircraft, designed with different propulsion systems in mind, and is therefore an ideal testbed for demonstrating green technologies. We are pleased to have chosen a team of British innovators to help us lead the way on a world stage. Together we will test and develop potential carbon neutral technologies, providing real world data that is crucial to helping inform decisions about future flight operations."
