Taxibot Makes Its Debut In Germany

Feb. 22, 2015
During Thursday's ceremony a memorandum of understanding was signed between IAI and Lufthansa to develop a larger model of the Taxibot to be able to support bigger aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380.

An Israeli-made robotic airplane tow vehicle made its debut at Frankfurt Airport on Thursday in a ceremony attended by journalists from around the world.

The Israel Aviation Industry's "Taxibot" was designed to ferry the most commonly used passenger airplane, the Boeing 737, from its terminal or parking, to the runway. The Taxibot was first tested on a commercial Lufthansa flight, and later, after a thorough and prolonged review, was approved by Israeli and European aviation authorities. During Thursday's ceremony a memorandum of understanding was signed between IAI and Lufthansa to develop a larger model of the Taxibot to be able to support bigger aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380.

The Taxibot is an upgrade and hopeful replacement for the traditional airplane towing vehicle, known as a pushback truck. The pushback trucks would pull an airplane away from a terminal to a safe distance so that the pilots could then use the airplanes thrusters to maneuver the plane without fear of jet exhaust damaging the terminal or spreading debris.

More details here.