AIRBUS Signs Technology Deal with Oracle Team USA

Aircraft manufacturer AIRBUS has agreed a technology partnership with America’s Cup champion Oracle Team USA.

As Official Innovation Partner of Oracle Team USA for the 35th America’s Cup, AIRBUS will share the know-how of its engineers and experts in fields such as aerodynamics, instrumentation and simulation, composites, structures, hydraulics and data analysis to work with the Oracle Team USA design team. 

“This is a completely new endeavor for us,” said Fabrice Brégier, AIRBUS President and CEO. “By taking on an extreme technology and sports project of this magnitude we stretch our competencies and further boost our agility. There are so many similarities between the America’s Cup yacht and our aircraft design, that each partner benefits from an excellent platform not only to learn and grow but also to win.”

For Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill, the partnership will allow his team to benefit from the skill-set of a leading engineering group with experience working on the cutting-edge of technology. 

“The America’s Cup is a boat race, but the design technology and engineering are very often the winning factor,’ Spithill said. ‘The new America’s Cup boats are lighter and faster than what we’ve had before. They will be powered by a wing and will fly above the water on foils. They’re as much like airplanes as they are like traditional boats, so I know we’ll have a lot to learn from the experience the engineers at AIRBUS bring to the project.”