Blue Spirit designing aircraft using Dassault Systèmes platform

French hydrogen fuel cell startup, Blue Spirit Aero has begun using Dassault Systèmes’ cloud-based platform 3DExperience to design, test and validate its Dragonfly aircraft.

Over the past few months, Blue Spirit Aero has used Dassault Systèmes’ “Reinvent the Sky” solution, based on the 3DExperience platform, to complete the 3D design of Dragonfly’s shapes, and test and validate its performance in terms of aerodynamics, structure and energy.  

Dragonfly, which relies on Blue Spirit Aero’s in-house electro-propulsive technology, is planned for certification and entry into service in 2026.  

The 3DExperience platform is the “technology of reference” in the aviation industry, according to Olivier Savin, CEO and founder, Blue Spirit Aero.  

“By using it to develop our aircraft from concept to certification, not only are we relying on one platform for all aspects of our product development, we are giving credibility to each milestone achieved,” said Savin. 

“We can show potential investors, partners, employees, suppliers, customers and regulators that viable hydrogen solutions are being developed with the same software that has made the most technologically advanced commercial airliners possible,” he added.

David Ziegler, vice president, Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systèmes, added: “‘Reinvent the Sky’ and the scalability offered by the cloud allow it to deploy new capabilities as its project matures, optimise programme execution, and reduce costs. These are ‘must-haves’ for a startup paving the way toward the certification of a new category of vehicles.”