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Swift Engineering

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused withSwift Cooper.
Swift Engineering
FormerlySwift Racing Cars
Company typePrivate,Aerospace manufacturer
IndustryAerospace engineering,Aerospace manufacturer,UAS
GenreAerospace engineering
Founded1983;41 years ago(1983)
California,USA
Headquarters
San Clemente, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsUAS
UAV
Advance electronic sensors & systems
BrandsSwift Crane[simple],Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE)[ja]
OwnerMatsushita International Corp (100%)
Number of employees
<500
ParentMatsushita International Corp
DivisionsAeronauticsSystems
DefenseSystems
Mission Systems
SpaceSystems
Subsidiaries
Websiteswiftengineering

Swift Engineeringis an American engineering firm that buildsautonomous systems,helicopters,submarines,spacecraft,ground vehicles,robotics,and composite parts. ThechairmanandCEOisHiro Matsushita,a former racecar driver and grandson of the founder ofPanasonic,Konosuke Matsushita.

Swift used to produce racing cars for open-wheel racing series includingFormula Ford,Formula Atlantic,theChamp Car World SeriesandFormula Nippon. They company has designed and manufactured over 500 race cars.

Swift is certified toAS9100,ISO 14001andISO 27000.

History

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Swift Engineering was founded in 1983 by David Bruns, Alex Cross,R. K. Smith,and Paul White under the nameSwift Racing Cars.[4]Their first car, the DB-1, was aFormula Fordwhich won theSCCANational Championship in its debut race.[5]The company later built cars forSports 2000,Formula Ford 2000,Formula Atlantic,andCART.Swift chassis won the Atlantic Championship from 1989 to 1992 andBritish Formula Renaultin 1990.

In 1991, Swift was purchased byPanasonicexecutive and former Indycar racing driverHiro Matsushita,[6]grandson ofPanasonicfounderKonosuke Matsushita,[7]who renamed the firm Swift Engineering. Under his direction, Swift moved up to theCART World Seriesfor 1997, with two cars entered byNewman/Haas Racingand driven byMichael AndrettiandChristian Fittipaldi.In CART, Swifts got four wins and 24 podiums from 182 race entries.Tarso Marqueswas the last driver to race a Swift chassis in CART in the 2000 season.

In 2000, Swift Engineering started to provide vertically integrated, multi-disciplined product development services including design, development, engineering, testing, and rapid manufacturing of prototypes, demonstrators, and pre-production articles.

In 2018, Swift Engineering formed a joint venture,Swift Xi Inc.[ja;fr],with theKobe Institute of Computingto open its first office abroad inKobe,Japan.Since 2018,Yalephysicistand executive Nick Barua has overseen management.[8]

Racing cars

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The first Swift racecar was the DB-1 Formula Ford. The car won its debut race, the 1983 SCCA Runoffs at Road Atlanta. The DB-1 was the third car designed by Bruns and was considered to be a design simplification of Burns's previous design, the Automotive Development ADF. The car was considered a landmark design that rendered prior Formula Ford models obsolete. The DB-1 had the lowest aerodynamic drag of any Formula Ford at its release. Over 100 DB-1s were sold in the 18 months following the car's release. The car won 10 Formula Ford championships over the next 13 years. The closely related DB6 won an additional six championships with the last one in 2008. The success of the car was considered one of the factors that resulted in the slow decline of Formula Ford in the US after 1984.[9][10][11]

In 1998, Swift became the sole supplier for the newspec regulationToyotaAtlantic Championship.In 2006, the Atlantic race series became a part of the Champ Car (formerly CART) organization and was renamed the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered byMazda.Swift built a new car for the series, using 016.a as a chassis code. Swift became the sole supplier of chassis for the JapaneseFormula Nipponchampionship in 2009 with the 017.n chassis (also known as the FN09).[12]An updated model called SF13 was used in 2013. The company proposed a derivative of the 017.n, the 020.I, in response toIndy Lights' requirement for a new chassis for the 2014 season.[13]

Race cars designed and built by Swift

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Year Car Racing Series Image Title
1983 Swift DB1 Formula Ford1600 [14]
1984 Swift DB2 Sports 2000[15] Michael Ringströmdriving aSwift DB2at the qualification of Suttgarter Rössle's AvD 100 Meilen race
1988 Swift DB3 Formula Ford 2000 [16]
1989 Swift DB4 Formula Atlantic Hiro Matsushitain Toyota Atlantic Championship 1989 with Swift DB4[17]
1990 Swift DB5 Sports 2000 "1990 Swift".RetrievedNovember 10,2021.[18]
1991 Swift DB6 Formula Ford 20001600/2000
1997 Swift 007.i CART[19] Mario Andrettiat 1998 Goodwood Festival of Speed with Swift 007.I
1998 Swift 008.a Formula Atlantic [20]
1998 Swift 009.c CART
1999 Swift 010.c CART [21]
2000 Swift 011.c CART
2002 Swift 014.a Formula Atlantic[22] Jason Byersholds his arm up to the crowd after winning the Formula Atlantic class at the 2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
2006 Swift 016.a Formula Atlantic[23] Raphael Matoscelebrating a victory in hisSwift 016.aAtlantic Championship car in 2007
2007 Swift 016.a Formula Atlantic Giacomo Ricci(foreground) passingFrankie Munizin their Swift 016.a machines during the 2007Houstonrace.
2007 Swift 016.a Formula Atlantic Robert Wickensdriving at the Grand Prix of Houston Champ Car Atlantic support race in 2007.
2009 Swift 017.n Formula Nippon[24] Heamin Choicelebrating in hisSwift 017.n
2010 Swift 017.n Formula Nippon Formula Nippon car in 2010 Formula Nippon 2010 Rd.2 Motegi:André Lotterer(Team Petronas Team TOM'S) during the Sunday free practice session.
2010 Swift 017.n Formula Nippon Formula Nippon 2010 Rd.2 Motegi:Loïc Duval(Docomo Team Dandelion Racing) during the Sunday free practice session.
2010 Swift FN09 Formula Nippon Motorsport Japan 2010: Swift FN09's front wing.
2011 Swift 014.a Formula Atlantic Formula AtlanticwinnerMichael Mallinenracing in rain at the 2011 SCCA National Runoffs.
2012 Swift 014.a(Toyota) SCCA National Championship Runoffs Jason Byersholds his arm up to the crowd after winning the Formula Atlantic class at the 2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
2013 Swift 014.a(Toyota) SCCA National Championship Runoffs French racing to a third-place finish in C Sport Racer atRoad Americaduring the 2013SCCA National Championship Runoffs[25]

Aviation

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Beginning in 1997, Swift diversified into aerospace/aviation markets, working with major companies includingNorthrop Grumman,Boeing,Lockheed Martin,SpaceX,Sikorsky,and others. Swift has also worked for governmental agencies such asNASA.

Notable Aviation products of Swift

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Year Name Type Image Title Role
2001 Northrop Grumman Bat ReconnaissanceUAV During experimentation conducted by U.S. Fourth Fleet and Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC), the Northrop Grumman Bat unmanned aircraft system flies over the joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) during its maiden flight off of a U.S. Navy vessel in the Straits ofFlorida. Engineering, Analysis & Manufacturing
2007 Eclipse ECJ / 400 Civil utility aircraft Eclipse ECJ at Airventure 2007. Engineering, Analysis & Manufacturing
2013 Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton Maritimeunmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicleandpatrol aircraft MQ-4C Triton Test Flight with Multi-Intelligence Upgrade SupportingNorthrop Grummanin the design and manufacturing of composite structures.
2015 Sikorsky S-97 Raider Reconnaissance andattackcompound helicopter S-97 Raider in flight Engineering, manufacturing, etc.[26]
2017 Echo Voyager Autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV) Engineering & Manufacturing (Details are confidential)[27]
2017 Swift020/021 VTOLtypeUAV Swift020 flying overKobe2018 Design, manufacturing
2019 Sikorsky–Boeing SB-1 Defiant Compound helicopter A Boeing-Sikorsky flight demo of the SB-1 Defiant, the SARA, and the S-97 Raider at the William P. Gwinn airport in West Palm Beach, FL, Feb. 20, 2020. A major portion of the airframe structure was designed and manufactured at Swift’s facility in San Clemente, California by an integrated team of Swift and Boeing employees.[28]
2019 Sikorsky Raider X Reconnaissance andattackcompound helicopter Swift Engineering worked with Sikorsky on FARA Raider-X helicopter. A major portion of the airframe structure is designed and manufactured at Swift’s facility in San Clemente, California.[29]
2021 Lockheed Martin X-59 Quesst Experimentalsupersonic aircraft NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California during sunrise, shortly after completion of painting. With its unique design, including a 38-foot-long nose, the X-59 was built to demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, while reducing the typically loud sonic boom produced by aircraft at such speeds to a quieter sonic “thump”. The X-59 is the centrepiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter. Engineering, Analysis & Manufacturing
2021 Swift Crane VTOLtypeUAV Swift Crane flying overAwaji Island,Hyogo 2023 Design, manufacturing<
2021 Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE)[ja] High-altitude platform station First test flight atSpaceport AmericainNew Mexico,USA in July 2020 Design, manufacturing

Killer Bee

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Swift Engineering designed, built, and delivered the runway-independent Killer Bee blended wingUAVand its mobile launch/retrieval system in 2002.Northrop Grummanbought the Killer Bee UAV product line from Swift Engineering, and renamed it as theNorthrop Grumman Batin April 2009.[30]It has been used primarily as anISRgathering tool, and features a 10-ft wingspan with 30-lb payload capacity.

Eclipse 400

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In 2007 Swift Engineering produced the prototypeEclipse 400single-engine jet aircraft under contract toEclipse Aviation.The aircraft was built in secrecy atNASA'sWallops Flight FacilityinVirginiaand first flown on 2 July 2007.[31]Swift supplies high-strength, low-weight composite parts and assemblies to several aerospace industry customers. Engineering consultancy and designing and producing tooling for composite parts are further aspects of the business.[32]

Sikorsky–Boeing SB-1 Defiant

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Swift Engineering Inc. joined the Sikorsky-Boeing team in 2015 to support the development of theSikorsky–Boeing SB-1 DefiantMulti-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD), with the design and manufacturing of a significant portion of the airframe structure.[33]

Swift020/021

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In 2014, Swift started developing the Swift020 fully electric, fully autonomous VTOL UAS. This aircraft is runway-independent and transitions to horizontal flight through its autopilot software.[34]the firstUASfeaturing X-blade technology, made its first fully autonomous flight demonstration in the city ofKobe, Japanon July 21, 2018.[35]It takes off and lands like aquadrotorbut transitions to efficient fixed-wing forward flight without additional launch and recovery equipment, vastly reducing operational time and cost.[36][37]It has a 4-meter wingspan, 2–3 hours of endurance, and a 1.5-kg payload.

Swift Crane

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TheSwift Crane[ja;simple]is aVTOLunmanned aerial vehicle designed and developed by Swift Engineering. It is a fixed-wing design and can take off and land vertically. This drone features a large wing and four propellers. Swift Engineering initially released the Swift020 model, which was primarily used for research and development purposes, and later upgraded it to the Swift021. The latest version of the drone, the Swift Crane, is a commercialized variant.[38]

Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE)

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In 2018 Swift proposed to design, fabricate, and fly aSwift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE)[ja]30-day missionhigh-altitude long endurance(HALE) UAS with flight tests including 24-hrs, 48-hrs, and 7-days during the Phase 2 timeline forNASA.[39]All operations, ground control, safety, reviews, and payload will be included in these test flights and within the proposed 2-year timeframe.[40]Swift HALE completed its first test flight fromSpaceport AmericainNew Mexicoin 2020.[41]

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XLUUV submarine

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In 2017, Swift Engineering designed, fabricated, and delivered QTY 10, 10-ft Iridium NEXT payload adapter cylinders, and structures for a 50 ft. XLUUV unmanned submarine.

Structure

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Swift Engineering is the parent of a diverse set of subsidiaries.

Subsidiary Business Executive Leader
Swift Xi Inc. Engineering Company Nick Barua -COO[42]
Swift Autonomy A completeUASsuite service company Hamilton Rencurrel, Caleb Joiner
Hyperkelp Ocean data as a service company[43] Graeme Rae -CEO

Recognitions

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  • 2012: Swift Engineering received the JEC Americas Innovation Award for its out-of-autoclave process[44]
  • 2012:Northrop GrummanSmall Business Supplier of the Year, awarded from 1500 suppliers
  • 2013: Swift Engineering has been chosen as a "Best in Class" A&D Company to Watch byAviation Week[45]
  • 2018: Swift proposed to design, fabricate, and fly a Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) 30-day mission HALE UAS with flight tests including 24-hrs, 48-hrs, and 7-days during the Phase 2 timeline forNASA.All operations, ground control, safety, reviews, and payload will be included in these test flights and within the proposed 2-year timeframe.[46]
  • 2019: Swift Engineering has been selected out of 25 companies around the world to install a UAS academy for theMinistry of National Security (Bahamas),to deploy a suite of drones to support the country's command, control, communication, and ISR efforts.[47]
  • 2019: Swift is delivering a pair of low-cost (90% reduction), low-weight (50% reduction)telepresenceroboticarm replacements toNASAfor their Valkyrie humanoid robotic assembly.
  • 2019: Swift Engineering has been selected for the design and construction ofFuture Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft(FARA) Airframe forSikorsky.[48]

References

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  1. ^"US developer and manufacturer of drones. SWIFT Engineering establishes company in Kobe".JETRO.RetrievedOctober 6,2021.
  2. ^"Nick Barua: Creating Opportunities through Innovation".Medium.March 22, 2024.RetrievedApril 14,2024.
  3. ^"Revolutionizing Drone Technology to Empower the Bahamas".swift autonomy.August 23, 2021.RetrievedOctober 6,2021.
  4. ^"Rekindling The Flame".Archived fromthe originalon August 25, 2006.
  5. ^"First Win PR"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 7, 2011.
  6. ^Henderson, Martin (September 24, 1997)."HIRO AT LARGE".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedMarch 15,2023.
  7. ^https:// panasonic /global/corporate/history/konosuke-matsushita.html/ArchivedNovember 6, 2021, at theWayback MachineThe Founder, Konosuke Matsushita
  8. ^"Dr. Nick Barua: Multi-Faceted Career of Yale Physicist to Japan's Business Icon".May 11, 2023.RetrievedAugust 3,2023.
  9. ^Egan, Peter (March 1984). "Swift DB-1, Testing the new Formula Ford national champion". Road and Track. pp. 61–63.
  10. ^Nickless, Steve (1993).Anatomy & Development of the Formula Ford Race Car.Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International. pp. 59–63, 116.ISBN087938-807-2.
  11. ^Zurschmeide, Jeff (July 2017)."They Can't Do That... Can They?".Sports Car Magazine.SCCA. pp. 32–37.
  12. ^"2009 Formula Nippon cars to be made in USA".
  13. ^Pruett, Marshall (August 28, 2012)."INDYCAR: Swift Files 2014 Indy Lights Proposal".SPEED Channel.Fox Sports. Archived fromthe originalon August 30, 2012.RetrievedAugust 29,2012.
  14. ^"1989 Swift DB-1 Formula Ford".May 18, 2018.RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  15. ^"Swift DB2 Sports 2000".March 1, 2021.RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  16. ^"Breaking Swift DB3".RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  17. ^"Swift DB4 Formula Atlantic".RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  18. ^"1990 Swift DB5-L Spec Sheet".January 7, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2010.RetrievedAugust 17,2022.
  19. ^"Swift 007.i chassis, which was driven by Micheal Andretti".September 28, 2018.RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  20. ^"1998 Swift 008/014 Formula Atlantic".RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  21. ^"1999 Swift 010.c Indycar".RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  22. ^Huschilt, Tom; Norris, Chris; Roberts, Neil; Page, Mark (December 2, 2002)."Development of the Swift 014.a Racecar for the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship Series 2002-01-3301".doi:10.4271/2002-01-3301.RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  23. ^"Swift 016 Formula Atlantic".December 2, 2002.RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  24. ^"Racecar-Engineering".December 11, 2007.
  25. ^"2009 National Points"(PDF).Cen-Div SCCA.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 16, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 21,2024.
  26. ^"High-Speed Scout And Attack Compound Helicopter".RetrievedFebruary 26,2024.
  27. ^"Fully Autonomous Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV)".RetrievedFebruary 26,2024.
  28. ^"Swift Joins Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant Team To Deliver Next Generation Vertical Lift".RetrievedFebruary 26,2024.
  29. ^"Swift Engineering Selected for the Design and Construction of FARA Airframe for Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company".December 23, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 26,2024.
  30. ^"Bat Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)".
  31. ^Trautvetter, Chad (July 2007)."Eclipse Goes Solo with Concept Jet".RetrievedNovember 15,2008.
  32. ^https://minijets.org/en/300-500/pwc-610f/eclipse-concept-jet/Eclipse Concept Jet (ECJ)
  33. ^"Swift Joins Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant Team to deliver Next Generation Vertical Lift"(Press release).
  34. ^Press (May 1, 2020)."Swift UAS Teams Break New Ground in Japan".sUAS News - The Business of Drones.RetrievedMarch 15,2023.
  35. ^"Swift Engineering Inc. successfully flies VTOL drone Swift020 in Kobe, Japan".sUASNews.November 5, 2018.RetrievedDecember 12,2019.
  36. ^"Swift021 – A Fully Autonomous VTOL UAS".Swift Engineering.
  37. ^Schroth, Frank (April 29, 2017)."Swift Engineering's VTOL Solutions for the UAS Industry – the Swift 020".
  38. ^"Long-Range Drone Takes Off, Lands like a Bird".The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.RetrievedJanuary 29,2024.
  39. ^"NASA Small Business Partnership Prepares Drone for 30-Day Science Flights".August 4, 2020.RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  40. ^"Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), Phase II".RetrievedNovember 10,2021.
  41. ^Swift Engineering (July 20, 2020)."American made Swift High Altitude Long Endurance UAS Completes Landmark Flight"(Press release).
  42. ^"Nick Barua: Creating Opportunities through Innovation".March 15, 2023.RetrievedAugust 3,2023.
  43. ^"HyperKelp Collaborates with Northrop Grumman to Monitor Glacier Melt".RetrievedJune 27,2023.
  44. ^"JEC Innovation Awards Program 2012 - 13 companies rewarded for their composite innovations".JEC Group.February 16, 2012.
  45. ^"Aviation Week — November 11/18 2013".Aviation Week | The Complete Archive.
  46. ^"Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), Phase II".
  47. ^"Govt signs $17 mil. contract for drones".The Nassau Guardian.December 17, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 14,2021.
  48. ^"Swift Engineering Selected for the Design and Construction of FARA Airframe for Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company".Bloomberg.December 23, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 14,2021.
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