Airbus to Partner with Oracle Team USA

The aerospace company will become the official innovations partner of the Oracle team for the 35th America’s Cup race and will share the know-how of its engineers and experts in fields such as aerodynamics, advanced composites, structures and data analysis to work with their design team.

The Oracle Team USA first won the America’s Cup in 2010 racing a trimaran powered by one of the largest wings (223 feet / 68 meter) ever built. In 2013, the team successfully defended its title in the AC72 class – wingsail powered catamarans that flew above the water on hydrofoils at over 50 mph (90kph).

Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill said;

The America’s Cup is a boat race, but the design technology and engineering are very often the winning factor. 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.

The next America’s Cup will be in 2017 and raced in the new AC62 class; a smaller, lighter and more finely engineered foiling catamaran than its predecessor that is expected to reach similar speeds.