Project
A collaborative aircraft project.
ISO-Plane is an open architecture project focused on one mission: autonomous air transport of a standard 20-foot ISO container.
Project Purpose
From container logistics to air transport.
ISO-Plane is designed around a simple operational gap: standard ISO containers move easily by road, rail and sea, but air cargo still depends heavily on pallets, ULDs, terminals and ground handling equipment.
TRL3
current project phase
Open
architecture baseline
Private
industrial subsystems
FR + CA
target partnership logic
Open Architecture
A shared baseline before industrial development.
The project separates the open aircraft architecture from private industrial subsystems. Academic teams can contribute to the common baseline, while future suppliers keep proprietary technologies protected.
- Mission concept and aircraft architecture open to contributors
- Private engines, avionics, actuators and certified subsystems
- Interface documents to connect both layers
TRL3 Focus
The phase where the concept is tested.
At TRL3, ISO-Plane must prove that the architecture remains credible when the main technical risks are studied together.
Loading system
Validate the kinematics, alignment tolerance and autonomous lock verification for one ISO container.
Ventral door
Confirm that the lower cargo opening can be compatible with pressurization, loads, fatigue and sealing.
Load path
Define how container loads transfer into the floor, fuselage structure and central wing box.
Roadmap
A step-by-step path toward industrial credibility.
ISO-Plane must move through maturity gates: architecture consolidation, subsystem demonstrators, industrial review, certification planning and eventually aircraft development.
- TRL3: architecture and assumptions under scrutiny
- TRL4: loading, door and structural demonstrators
- TRL5+: industrial consortium and aircraft development path
Partnership Logic
Academic foundation, industrial review, bilateral ambition.
The project starts with academic work packages and aims to progress toward a structured industrial ecosystem, with a strong France–Canada logic around coordination, aircraft architecture and turboprop expertise.
Academic layer
Engineering schools and universities build the open technical baseline.
Industrial layer
Engine, landing gear, structures, doors, avionics and cargo-handling specialists review the architecture.
Funding layer
Public funding, strategic investors and launch customers support the transition beyond TRL3.
ISO-Plane Project
A focused project moving toward technical validation.
The next step is to validate the core architecture: autonomous loading, ventral cargo access, container load path, mass control and industrial partner readiness.