Colorado-based Radia, the designer of the WindRunner aircraft, has formed strategic partnerships with Aernnova, Leonardo, and AFuzion to advance its innovative turbine blade transport solution. The WindRunner is designed to transport turbine blades up to 105 meters long directly to wind farm sites, landing on semi-prepared dirt runways as short as 1,800 meters.
This partnership aims to address logistical challenges that hinder the expansion of onshore wind energy. Long turbine blades often face significant transportation hurdles due to roadblocks such as bridges and tunnels.
Aernnova will collaborate with Radia on developing the aircraft’s wing and engine pylons, Leonardo will focus on the fuselage, and AFuzion will provide safety and certification consulting. The WindRunner will enable the delivery of large, efficient wind turbines, potentially transforming the wind energy sector and facilitating the deployment of “GigaWind” turbines.
Radia CEO Mark Lundstrom emphasized the project’s potential to impact climate change, diversify the aerospace industry, and capture a significant market opportunity. Aernnova CEO Ricardo Chocarro highlighted the importance of WindRunner’s solution for the wind turbine industry, while Leonardo’s Stefano Bortoli and AFuzion’s Vance Hilderman expressed their enthusiasm for contributing their expertise to this groundbreaking project.
