The HEAD project, developed by Airizon, introduces the HEAD suite, a digital platform for aircraft design that enables development time reductions of up to 60% and cost reductions of up to 40%, while ensuring reliability and sustainability. HEAD aims to lead the digital and sustainable transition of the aeronautics industry. To date, the core back-end functionalities have been validated and the graphical user interface has been improved, with the beta release scheduled for January 2025 and the commercial release for May 2025.
The HEAD Project
HEAD (Hybrid and Electric Aircraft Designer) aims to bring to market the software products of the same name that are part of the suite. This digital suite developed by Airizon represents a fundamental step in the digitalization of aircraft design processes, providing designers with a tool capable of significantly reducing development time and costs, while ensuring reliable design of innovative and green configurations.
The HEAD suite consists of three modules dedicated to the phases of aircraft design. For the first time in the field of aircraft design, users who adopt HEAD will be able to use a tool capable of integrating multiple propulsion system types and supporting the design of an unlimited number of different configurations.
Airizon overcomes the limitations of existing tools on the market by enabling unprecedented design flexibility; moreover, it offers a product that can interface with other software to facilitate information integration, guaranteeing a reduction in design costs of up to 40% and a reduction in design time of up to 60%.
Project Objectives
The HEAD project was conceived to address the most critical challenges of modern aircraft design by combining technological innovation, sustainability, and digitalization. Key objectives include:
Market launch of the HEAD suite
The project supports the market launch of Airizon’s flagship product by funding a company e-commerce platform for license management.
Digitalization and Integration of Design Processes
The entire design process is developed around a single digital model of the aircraft. This single source of truth is used to coordinate all design processes.
Supporting the Technological Transition
In line with the European Sustainability Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Airizon’s research team developed new aircraft design methods for green platforms. These methodologies are at the core of the features within the HEAD suite.
Achieved and Expected Results
The project has already reached key milestones six months after its start. On the technology development side, validation of the main back-end functionalities has been completed; the back-end now integrates scalable digital models capable of covering the conceptual and preliminary design phases. In parallel, the graphical user interface has been made more accessible to make the software usable by a wider range of users and to support market adoption.
From an efficiency standpoint, following the release of the alpha version in September 2024, tests conducted with partner companies highlighted a significant reduction in design time (60%) and a reduction in costs (40%), results aligned with the project’s objectives.
Looking ahead, Airizon plans to release the beta version in January 2025 and a commercial version in May 2025.
At the same time, the team has been expanded through the hiring of resources specialized in front-end and back-end development—an essential step to consolidate internal capabilities and support the ongoing development of the project.
Further expected results can be summarized as follows:
- Complete the development of the HEAD STAR module for aircraft design.
- Support market presence through the creation of an e-commerce platform.
- Contribute to the digital transition of new customers, in line with European technological trajectories and the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda.
Update – 31/07/2025 – End of the project
The HEAD project, developed by Airizon, introduces the HEAD suite, a digital platform for aircraft design that enables development time reductions of up to 60% and cost reductions of up to 40%, while ensuring reliability and sustainability. HEAD aims to lead the digital and sustainable transition of the aeronautics industry. All project objectives were achieved, with market access accomplished through the release of the commercial version in July 2025. This version features a user-friendly graphical interface, a smooth and responsive back-end, and secure license keys.