India plans to spend US $3 billion on its space programme

According to the head of India's military, the country plans to spend about $3 billion on space-related contract awards over the next few years to reduce its dependence on foreign satellites and bolster its counter-space capabilities. Gen. Anil Chauhan's call to close the gap between India's own capabilities and other nations that are developing countermeasures in space comes amid tensions with China.

LYTE launches a private version of hydrogen-electric VTOL AIRCRAFT

According to Lyte Aviation, its LA-44 X Prime aircraft will have the same 620-mile range as the other variants. Founder and CEO Freshta Farzam said she is in talks with aircraft completion specialists and aims to unveil cabin interior designs in the next few weeks.

AIRBUS CEO EXPECTS TO LAUNCH ZERO AIRCRAFT PROGRAMME BY 2028

Airbus has revealed more details on its ZEROe programme, which the manufacturer announced in September 2020. According to its chief executive, the plane maker is currently exploring two hydrogen technologies: directly burning liquid hydrogen or using it in a fuel cell to turn hydrogen into electricity.

SURF AIR secures early delivery of 90 ELECTRA HYBRIDELECTRIC AIRCRAFT

On 15 February US Commuter and General Aviation group, Surf Air announced that it has secured early delivery slots for 90 Electra hybrid-electric aircraft. The aircraft will not only go to Surf Air's own airlines, Southern Airways and Mokulele Airlines, but could also be leased to other operators under what the firm calls 'aircraft-as-a-service' programme. The latter is, in essence, a turnkey leasing scheme designed to meet the needs of Part 135 operators, which are small local and regional airlines with often limited access to the services of more traditional aircraft lessors.

LILIUM PREPARES TO RAMP UP

production of electric jet propulsion units

GKN AEROSPACE and P&W to collaborate on HYBRID-ELECTRIC flight project

GKN Aerospace has signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) to collaborate on the development of the high-voltage high-power EWIS for the RTX hybrid-electric flight demonstrator project.

DORON UNVEILS II AEROSPACE H1-X PERSONAL 'FLYING CAR'

The two-seat eVTOL, designed for personal ownership, government agencies and emergency services, is expected to begin test flights by the end of 2024. A Florida-based manufacturer has unveiled a ‘flying car’ design it says is ‘so intuitive that a four-year-old could fly it.’

VOLOCOPTER OBTAINS CLEARANCE TO START EARLY SERIIAL PRODUCTION OF VOLOCITY EVTOL AIRCRAFT

Last month Germany’s LBA civil aviation authority extended Volocopter’s production organisation approval (POA), clearing the way for the company to start serial manufacturing of its two-seat VoloCity eVTOL aircraft. The approval covers two new Volocopter production eVTOLs and hangar facilities at Bruchsal in Germany that the company built in 2023.

MAJOR INVESTORS EXPECT FIRST COMMERCIAL EVTOL PASSENGER ROUTES TO BE OPERATIONAL BY 2026

According to new global research from New Horizon Aircraft Ltd, global investors are anticipating the first commercial passenger routes of electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft to be operational in the next few years as the Future Air Mobility market continues to advance rapidly.

DUFOUR AEROSPACE COPENHAGEN HELICOPTER A LETTER OF INTENT

The Danish company Copenhagen Helicopter and their partner Copenhagen AirTaxi, based at Roskilde Airport have signed a letter of intent with Dufour Aerospace for a conditional order to purchase the Aero2 UAV for cargo and aerial work and the Aero3 for passenger transportation.

BOEING SELF-FLYING AIR TAXI VENTURE WISK AERO SETS PLAN FOR TEXAS SERVICE

Wisk Aero, the self-flying, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi venture of Boeing is eyeing Texas as one of its launch markets.

ONE SHOT ONE HIT fire control system being used to target drones in Israel

Handheld operated or remotely controlled, the SMASH family of fire control systems excels in combat as well as in HLS due to its unique ability to counter drones and enhance operational effectiveness against ground, aerial and maritime targets.

ELBIT UNVEILS NEW HERMES 650 SPARK, claiming 24-hour plus endurance

Last month well known for its drones, Israeli firm Elbit unveiled a new propeller-driven aircraft, powered by what executives called an 'over-powered' engine to give it speed, payload and the ability to loiter for a day or more.

CUSTOMER DEMAND AND WINGS AIRCRAFT LIBRARY DESIGN APPROACH SHAPING NEW AIRCRAFT

At Wing, we are always thinking big about how to optimise drone delivery. Today, we are thinking bigger: We are introducing an additional aircraft into our fleet that will simplify and streamline larger orders.

AIRBUS HELICOPTER TO EXPAND UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM PORTFOLIO WITH ACQUISITION OF AEROVEL

Airbus Helicopters and Aerovel have signed an agreement regarding the acquisition of Aerovel and its unmanned aerial system (UAS), Flexrotor, as part of a strategy to strengthen its portfolio of tactical unmanned solutions. Flexrotor is a small tactical unmanned aerial system designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and over land.

Testing of Boom technology demonstrator proceeding apace

Boom Supersonic, the American company about the highly speculative business of designing and producing a supersonic airliner dubbed the Boom Overture, has reportedly achieved a number of milestones vis-à-vis the development of its XB-1 Baby Boom, a one-third-scale technology demonstrator devised to vet technologies salient to the planned airliner.

NASA astronaut sets spaceflight milestone

On Wednesday 13 September 2023 during an Earth-to-Space call at 12h05 EDT, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy spoke with agency astronaut Frank Rubio about his record-breaking number of consecutive days in space.

Pipistrel flies liquid hydrogen demonstrator

On Friday 8 September 2023 Textron subsidiary Pipistrel Aircraft flew the first piloted liquid hydrogen-powered electric aircraft. The HEAVEN project HY4 demonstrator took off from Maribor, Slovenia with two pilots onboard and 'demonstrated safe and efficient operation throughout multiple flight tests, the company said.

Aviation's hydrogen shift: Exploring test and validation for hydrogen propulsion

Asourclimateworsens, decarbonisation becomes an increasingly pressing imperative for aircraft, manufacturers. Coventry University and engineering services company FEV co-created the Centre for Advanced Low-Carbon Systems to develop the varied propulsion technologies this endeavour demands.

One-seat eVTOL needs no pilot certificate to fly

There are thousands of persons who have the flying bug but lack the time or energy to set aside hundreds of hours needed for a pilot's licence. But if they have the money, a personal aircraft for which the pilot needs no certification to fly just came closer to entering production.

EHang unmanned aircraft cloud system approved by CAA

EHang, an autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology platform company, announced that its EHang Unmanned Aircraft Cloud System (UACS) has been officially approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for UACS trial operations.

EASA introduces eVTOL policy changes

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published new proposed regulations governing the operation of vertical-take-offand-landing (VTOL) aircraft, including drones and eVTOL air taxis, in Europe's cities.

Bristow to introduce Volocopter air taxis to US via a new partnership

The first commercial electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi flights will probably not be made by Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, or Boeing's Wisk Aero. In fact, they are most likely to come from a firm with zero presence in the US market, at least, not yet.

AMPAIRE FLIES hybrid-electric Cessna to Alaska in milestone flight

On 13 August Ampaire revealed that following a 3,400-mile series of flights from Southern California, its hybrid-electric aircraft successfully landed at the Fairbanks International Airport (FAI). The EEL is a platform for the development of scalable technology and certification processes.

W Autonomous Systems (WAS) makes history landing on Royal Navy carrier at sea

A pilotless plane has flown on and off a Royal Navy aircraft carrier for the first time. The W Autonomous Systems (WAS) drone flew from the Lizard Peninsula and onto the deck of HMS Prince of Wales off the Cornish coast, delivered supplies and then flew back in a milestone flight which points the way to the future of naval aviation.

uAvionix and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma complete first US flights

Operating at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Emerging Aviation Technology Center, uAvionix completed the first true Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight in non-segregated airspace using aviation protected C-Band in the United States.

DroneX DroneX - Tradeshow & Conference is returning to the ExCeL London on 26 and 27 September 2023.

The show brings together the key innovators, pioneers, suppliers and buyers from across four key sectors who will all come together to provide the most comprehensive show on record including:

The US Army's LIDS: A sure shot against drones

Raytheon's KURFS radars and Coyote® effectors have teamed up to defeat evolving, proliferating unmanned aircraft systems threat. The KuRFS radar and Coyote® effector deliver essential detect and defeat capabilities in the defence against unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, also known as drones.

FAA approves - BVLOS operations for three UAS companies

Recently three United States companies received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorisation to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) where their operators cannot see them.

Bristow Group - secures early deliveries of five Elroy Air Chaparral cargo drones

Houston-based Bristow Group, which achieved its start as an international operator of helicopters but now bills itself as a vertical flight solutions provider, is looking to speed up the introduction of new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft to its fleet.