Altair, a provider of computational intelligence, is to provide strategic support for ANN, Manta Aircraft's long-range hybrid-electric eV/STOL platform, aimed at accelerating the design of the scalable family of next-generation aircraft.

“Altair is dedicated to supporting those who dare to push the limits of engineering to innovate faster and change the world,” says Paolo Colombo, Director of Strategy, Aerospace and Defense at Altair. “This commitment is exemplified through Altair's support of promising startups like Manta Aircraft, providing an acceleration program designed to overcome the specific challenges of the aerospace industry.”

Manta Aircraft will utilise these resources to finalise the design readiness for the manufacturing of 1:1 scale prototypes of its platform demonstrator ANN2 within the next 12 months. Additionally, they will continue the design of other models such as the ANN Plus, a versatile multi-seater with six seats, and a drone configuration.

Lucas Marchesini, CEO Manta Aircraft adds: “We at Manta are very grateful to Altair for their confidence in our project and their decision to support us with the tools and very specific expertise that Altair has acquired over the last few years. We are confident that we can solve outstanding technical challenges in the various areas of the Manta design by utilising the remarkable variety of tools Altair has made available to us”