Vertical partners with Aciturri, active in Morocco, for VX4 airframe

Bristol-based aerospace manufacturer Vertical Aerospace announced on Monday a long-term strategic partnership with Aciturri Aerostructures, which operates in several countries including Morocco, to manufacture the airframe for its VX4 electric and hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Under the agreement, Aciturri will supply and engineer the entire airframe, including the wing, empennage, pylons, and fuselage, for both the pre-production and, subject to certification, commercial versions of the VX4, according to a press release issued Monday.

Aciturri brings nearly five decades of aerospace manufacturing expertise to the project, having contributed to major aircraft programs for Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer, and more recently to eVTOL platforms for Eve Air Mobility and Lilium. The company will also provide concurrent manufacturing engineering to enable efficient and scalable VX4 production.

The partnership forms part of Vertical’s broader «Flightpath 2030» strategy, which focuses on long-lead parts procurement and strategic industrial collaboration. It follows Vertical’s expanded partnership with Honeywell and its recent milestone of completing successful airport-to-airport test flights, the press release reads.

Aciturri entered the Moroccan market in September 2023 through the acquisition of GOAM Industrie, a high-precision aircraft engine component manufacturer based near Casablanca.