SkyDrive Inc. (“SkyDrive”), a leading electric vertical takeoff & landing (eVTOL1) aircraft manufacturer based in Japan, today announced that TAIHO Co.,Ltd. (“Taiho”), a total engineering company, signed a memorandum of understanding  (MOU)  and agreed on a pre-order of SkyDrive SD-05 for commercial use. Taiho is a member of newly established Public-Private Council for Advanced Air Mobility in Kagawa prefecture in Shikoku region.

SkyDrive is currently developing the SD-05 eVTOL aircraft to create a future where everyone has access to air mobility as their daily transportation. The company successfully completed in the first flight test in Japan in 2019, and its SD-05 is in the process of acquiring its Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification.

Taiho sells and maintains control or measurement equipment and performs electrical, communications, and civil engineering works for customers in various industries, including electric power, chemicals, oil refining, nuclear power generation, and paper manufacturing. In recent years, the company has been actively investing in new fields such as robotics, including the in-house development of automated driving and monitoring robots for the livestock industry.

The Shikoku region, where Taiho is headquartered, faces transportation and regional revitalization challenges. As a leading infrastructure provider in this area, Taiho believes that the electric and compact SD-05 can be a solution to these issues and has signed an MOU.

SkyDrive and Taiho are committed to bringing advanced air mobility to Shikoku. The two will work closely with all stakeholders, including flight operators, vertiports and power supply infrastructure providers to make this vision a reality.

This press release was prepared and distributed by SkyDrive.