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Boeing announced Tuesday that it will be spending CAD 95 million ($70 million) on further developing tech at its Wisk autonomous electric vertical take off and landing subsidiary. The money is part of a CAD 240 million ($175 million) spending spree focused on Boeing operations at the Aerospace Development Centre in Montreal, Quebec’s new Espace Aéro Innovation Zone.
Wisk, which just said last month that it is trying to expand to the Asian market by 2030, makes aircraft that are part-car-part-plane-part-helicopter. A video of one of the company’s test flights from August gives you the gist. After investing $450 million in Wisk in 2022, Boeing acquired the company outright the next year. Its competitors include the Japanese firm SkyDrive, German company Volocopter, and the SpaceX-backed Alef Aeronautics.
“Boeing’s continued support of our Montreal engineering hub is a testament to the important work we’re already doing here in Canada,” said Sebastien Vigneron, Wisk’s Senior Vice President of Engineering and Programs, in a statement accompanying the news. “This is a tremendous opportunity to expand our team, tap further into the exceptional aerospace talent in Québec, and bring us one step closer to making our mission of bringing safe, everyday flight to everyone a reality.”