These are the companies helping Uber build its futuristic flying taxi

At an event in Dallas on Tuesday, Uber announced the partners that will help launch its Uber Elevate flying taxi service in 2020. Uber will rely on 5 partners to build the electric aircraft while the company develops Uber Air, an in-app feature that will allow consumers to request flights.

Uber's entrance into the flying taxi space occurs in the midst of a tumultuous year. The company has been accused of using location-tracking software to keep tabs on regulatory bodies, promoting a sexist work environment, and stealing self-driving technology from Google.

But as Uber fights the Google lawsuit and looks to revamp its image with the addition of a new COO and internal investigation, the company is full-speed ahead on Uber Elevate, which has an interesting mix of partners. Uber ultimately wants to build an electric Vertical Take-Off Landing (VTOL) aircraft that, like the name suggests, doesn’t need a runway to take off.

Here are the companies helping Uber make its flying taxi vision a reality:

Mooney International: The Texas-based aircraft manufacturer was started back in 1929, but has gone bankrupt and changed ownership many times. It's now owned by Chinese company Henan Meijing Group, a real estate developer.

Mooney stopped manufacturing planes in 2008 during the economic downturn. After going five years without selling a plane, Henan Meijing Group bought the company in 2013 for about $100 million, according to a 2013 Shanghai Daily report. Mooney is the manufacturer of single-engine, piston-powered aircrafts.

Mooney CEO Vivek Saxena stepped down on Monday, one day before the Uber Elevate announcement, according to a report by the AOPA, a non-profit political organization for American aviation companies. Saxena was at the company for about a year.

A Mooney representative did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment.

Aurora Flight Sciences: The Virginia-based company was born out of MIT’s Daedalus project, a human-powered aircraft that holds a world record for a flight time of 3 hours and 54 minutes.

The aviation and aeronautics research company is investing in autonomous flight research through its AACUS program. That program is working on an autonomous helicopter that could deliver supplies to marines on the ground.

Aurora revealed its flying taxi concept for Uber on Tuesday, which is based on the X-Plane it’s designing for the US Department of Defense. The X-Plane, funded by DARPA, is a hybrid VTOL that hovers using 24 ducted fans.

Embraer: The Brazilian private jet manufacturer has been making moves to compete with powerhouses like Airbus and Boeing.

Embraer said in a security filing that it will work on the Uber project through its Embraer Business Innovation Center, an initiative formed in early March.

The Center has offices in Silicon Valley and Boston with the objective of exploring "business opportunities in the future of air transportation, with the collaboration of startups, investors, academia, and corporations."

"We share the vision that the state of transportation in congested cities is ripe for innovative solutions, such as on-demand aviation," Antonio Campello, Vice President for Corporate Innovation, wrote in the security filing.

"Embraer’s leadership roles in commercial and business aviation were attained through the introduction of disruptive aircraft and services, and we are confident that our DNA will add value to new concepts in urban transportation as well," he continued.

Bell Helicopter: Based in Forth Worth, one of Uber Elevate's partner cities, the company manufactures vertical lift-off aircrafts for the military. It specializes in tiltrotor aircrafts.

The company is currently working on its next-generation V-280 Valor tiltrotor that will be operational in the 2030s. Bell is working on including "stealthy characteristics" like infrared heat suppressing systems that would make it harder for enemies to find the aircraft.

The V-280 Valor is part of the Army's Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program aimed at forging a new vertical take-off design for aircrafts.

Pipistrel Aircraft: The Slovenian aircraft manufacturer is best known for making electric and hybrid light planes.

In October 2016, Pipistrel signed a €550 million ($600 million) deal with Sino GA Group, a Chinese real-estate developer, to build its electric Alpha Electro plane and hybrid Pantera aircraft exclusively in China for seven years.

Pipistrel plans to use the money from the deal to build a 19-seat, hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered plane to transport people between Chinese cities.

NASA researchers are testing Pipistrel's electric propulsion systems for its X-Series line. NASA has committed $43.5 million through 2020 to build the line of zero-emission planes.

Ultimately, Uber plans to debut its electric, VTOL aircraft at the World Expo in Dubai in 2020.

The ride-hailing service has said the aircraft will first be piloted, but will achieve full autonomy later on. Partnering with two companies with ties to Chinese companies, Mooney and Pipistrel, could hint that Uber is trying to make a renewed push in China after failing to grow its car network in the country.

Uber merged with Didi Chuxing, its former rival in the company, in a $35 billion deal last August. Uber may be looking to get a foothold in China through its Uber Elevate plan as the country doubles down on fuel-emissions standards and pushes battery-powered vehicles.

But Uber plans to launch in its two partner cities, Dubai and Dallas-Forth Worth, in 2020.

Uber, along with other players in the space, will need to push for regulations to support VTOL aircrafts, which currently do not exist. The company said it's working with NASA, the FAA, and the National Air Traffic Control Association.

These are the companies helping Uber build its futuristic flying taxi

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