Supernal last week announced a minority investment in TruWeather Solutions to leverage its weather data analytics and forecasting technology in Supernal’s eVTOL vehicle and operations testing.

Supernal will pilot TruWeather’s V360° software-as-a-service product in the Company’s vehicle and surrounding operations to collect and integrate real-time distributed sensor weather data.

V360° will provide a comprehensive view of low-altitude weather and enable the Company to more accurately assess and predict weather conditions at critical locations and along flight paths. Supernal plans to deploy the TruWeather system in its future launch markets and make the infrastructure available to the broader AAM community.

“Supernal will incorporate TruWeather technology into our vehicle and operations testing as we work to make AAM as safe and reliable as commercial aviation,” said Adam Slepian, chief commercial officer of Supernal.

“The concept is simple: Better weather measurements mean better forecasts for AAM operations. TruWeather’s solution can turn potential flight delays or cancellations into safe and timely passenger journeys for Supernal customers.”

V360° can deliver eVTOL operators wind and weather updates every 15 minutes with tens of metres of grid resolution at and around vertiports. This model has 1 kilometre or better resolution along flight corridors and captures the effects that buildings have on wind flow, which is critical when flying in urban environments. By comparison, the best data available in commercial aviation today is 2.5 kilometre resolution and does not provide for urban building disrupted wind flows.

Don Berchoff, co-founder and CEO of TruWeather Solutions said: We will work closely with one of the premier mobility service providers in the world to enable Supernal’s success in building a safe, efficient business. Our job is to keep them flying safely with the help of our sensor and urban modelling partners.”

TruWeather is a leader in identifying and adopting the most advanced weather sensor technology to power its proprietary weather software to deliver micro-weather precision and accuracy for the transportation industry and beyond.

TruWeather has spent five years developing the next generation of micro-weather data collection technology and analytics for AAM and conducts R&D at UAS test ranges sanctioned by the FAA in four states across the US.

Last month, Supernal and Inmarsat announced a partnership to define the application of satellite connectivity in AAM. The companies will conduct testing and data sharing to optimise hardware and network systems, which will lead to the safe and efficient integration of eVTOL vehicles into the airspace.