At AIAA Aviation Forum, Flexcompute and Robinson Helicopter Announce CFD Partnership for All-New R88 Helicopter

BOSTON, July 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At this year's AIAA Aviation Forum, Flexcompute announced a new partnership with Robinson Helicopter Company to bring high-performance simulation to the development of the all-new Robinson R88.

The R88 represents a bold expansion of Robinson's product portfolio. Designed for versatility and mission adaptability, it features a powerful Safran Arriel 2W engine, a completely redesigned interior, and seating for two pilots and eight passengers. Like all Robinson aircraft, the R88 is engineered for ease of operation, affordable maintenance, exceptional safety, and unmatched cost-efficiency. It is purpose-built to transform seamlessly between roles — from firefighting to air ambulance, utility work, or tourism.

Robinson is incorporating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) into its development process, using Flexcompute's Flow360 GPU-native platform to optimize cooling system performance and reduce reliance on manual testing.

Leveraging Flexcompute's CFD platform, Flow360, will enable Robinson with speed, accuracy and a complete workflow, to be able to further refine key components, aerodynamics, or acoustics. This will help enable their goal of reaching reduced emissions, extended range, noise reduction, and increase the fidelity of new models such as R88 and new aircraft designs.

"The R88 is the most capable aircraft we've ever built. With Flow360, we're able to simulate key systems early, make better decisions faster, and bring that capability to market with confidence," said David Smith, CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company.

"Robinson's expansion with the R88 comes at a pivotal time," said Vera Yang, President and Co-Founder of Flexcompute. "With Flow360, their engineering team gains fast, accurate insight into complex fluid dynamics, allowing them to design and validate performance early and move from concept to production-ready faster than ever."

This partnership is part of a broader modernization effort under CEO David Smith, formerly of Bell Helicopter, who is leading Robinson's transition toward digital design tools to accelerate development and raise the bar on performance and safety.

Robinson lives by a simple code: the work they do makes the world work, and at Flexcompute, we're proud to power that mission through the next generation of simulation.

About Flexcompute:
Flexcompute is a leader in providing high-performance CFD simulation solutions for aviation, automotive, energy, space, and more. Flow360 harnesses the power of GPU technology to deliver simulation results 10-100 times faster than traditional CFD solutions. Flexcompute, known for its team of world-class CFD and simulation experts, including more than 60 PhDs and over a century of combined aerospace experience, helps companies tackle complex design challenges and accelerate development cycles. Our mission is to make software innovation just as easy as hardware through physics intelligence. Learn more at Flexcompute.com.

About Robinson Helicopter Company:
For more than 50 years, Robinson Helicopter Company has been at the forefront of the helicopter industry by delivering safety-enhancing technologies, including OEM-designed crash-resistant fuel cells, 4K cockpit video cameras, autopilot systems, impact-resistant windshields, and NVG-compatible cockpits. Robinson is committed to developing, manufacturing, and supporting the most reliable and efficient helicopters in the industry. For additional information, visit www.robinsonheli.com.

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SOURCE Flexcompute