US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE PURCHASE 21 BRITISH TACTICAL RESUPPLY UNMANNED AIR CRAFT SYSTEMS

On 29 March, senior Marine Corps leaders and logisticians attending the ILB observed the TRUAS, a large, drone-like aircraft, carry a payload over a short distance, drop it at a specified location and return to the starting point. According to Master Sgt. Chris Genualdi, an airborne and air delivery specialist with Combat Development and Integration the concept of using a drone to transport supplies may sound simple, but the implications could have a significant impact on combat supply transportation.

SKY POWER INTERNATIONAL TO EXHIBIT TOGETHER WITH UAS GLOBAL SERVICES AT XPONENTIAL 2023

Sky Power International and UAS manufacturer UAS Global Services are exhibiting together at Xponential 2023 in Denver, Colorado. The Texas-based company is using engines from the German two-stroke and Wankel engine specialist.

AEROVIRONMENT AWARDED $64.6 MILLION CONTRACT FOR SWITCHBLADE 300 LOITERING MISSILE SYSTEMS

On 24 March AeroVironment, Inc. received additional funding of US$64,565,126 from the US Army Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions (TAGM) project office for the procurement of Switchblade Ⓡ 300 loitering missile systems.

DJI ANNOUNCES MINI 2 SE DRONE

Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Ltd, more widely Technologies known as Da Jiang Innovations, or simply DJI is a Chinese state-backed designer and manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

SPIRIT OF INNOVATION' STAKES CLAIM TO BE THE WORLD'S FASTEST ALL-ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT

Rolls-Royce believes its all-electric 'Spirit of Innovation' is the world's fastest all-electric aircraft, setting three new world records. We have submitted data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) that control and certify world aeronautical and astronautical records.

US AIR FORCE AWARDS XWING AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT

Based on the Cessna 208 Caravan, Xwing and the US Air Force have begun autonomous flight trials of the firm's 'Superpilot' flight control system.

JETSON SELECTS PARAZERO TO DEVELOP RECOVERY SAFETY SYSTEM FOR THE JETSON ONE EVTOL

Jetson, a leading manufacturer of personal eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) vehicles, has partnered with ParaZero, a global leader in safety systems for manned eVTOLS and commercial UAS, to develop parachute safety systems for Jetson's personal electric aerial vehicle, the Jetson ONE.

MARS HELICOPTER COMPLETES 50TH FLIGHT

On 13 April, nearly two years after beginning its mission, NASA's Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, successfully completed its 50th flight with a 145.7-second hop.

BOOM SUPERSONIC CONTINUES XB-1 ENGINE TEST RUNS

Once again Boom Supersonic has been spotted conducting test runs on the XB-1 supersonic demonstrator at Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field (MHV).

STARSHIP GROUNDED UNTIL DESTRUCTION AFTER ITS LAUNCH HAS BEEN PROBED

The FAA has grounded SpaceX's Starship programme while it investigates last month's explosive test launch of the full system. However, this time the agency appears to be at least as interested in the scorched mess left behind by the booster as it is the explosion that was triggered a few minutes later when the second stage failed to separate from the main booster. The agency told CNBC that SpaceX will not be allowed to try again until it is satisfied 'any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety.'

AUSTRALIA's FIRST COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT UNVEILED

South Australia will be home to Australia’s first commercially produced electric aircraft, with Adelaide-based Bader Aero already taking orders for their new plane. The E22 Spark aircraft was unveiled to the public for the first time at Adelaide Motorsport Festival as part of RAA’s e-motions display in Victoria Park

TURKISH AKSUNGUR UAVS FOR ANGOLA

Becoming the first confirmed African nation to order Aksungur medium-altitude, long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Angola has ordered the drones from Turkish Aerospace Industries

MALIAN AIR FORCE COMMISSIONS BAYRAKTAR TB2 UAVs

Mali’s Air Force continues to expand through new equipment deliveries, with the most recent batch of hardware accepted into service including Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey and L-39 trainer and light attack jets from Russia

SUPERSONIC TRAVEL WITHOUT THE SONIC BOOM

Imagine flying faster than the speed of sound. With its X-59, NASA could re-open the door to supersonic travel, this time without the explosive boom. For decades, flying faster than the speed of sound has meant speeding across the skies in an aircraft that creates a powerful sonic boom, a significant noise that travels down to the ground below like a crack of thunder

US GOVERNMENT EMPHASISES SPEED AND SUSTAINABILITY AS TOP AERONAUTICS PRIORITIES

The Administration’s vision for continued global leadership notes supersonic flight’s emerging commercial interest and underscores the criticality of sustainable aviation

ARTEMIS II ASTRONAUTS NAMED

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) made public the names of the four astronauts selected to serve as the Artemis II mission’s primary crew

JETBLUE AND SHELL AVIATION ANNOUNCE LAX SAF AGREEMENT

On 14 March 2023 the US low-cost airline JetBlue, currently at odds with the Biden administration over its proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines and Shell Aviation announced that the two companies would collaborate to bolster the Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). JetBlue and Shell Aviation look to commence SAF deliveries to LAX in the first half of 2023

HONEYWELL AND WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC PARTNER ON H2 AERO FUEL-CELL SOLUTIONS

A new partnership between Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), USA and Honeywell Aerospace aims to reduce the aviation industry’s carbon footprint by examining means by which hydrogen fuel-cells may be utilized to power future generations of aircraft

NORWEGIAN FOUNDATION COLLABORATES WITH AIRBUS ON EVTOL

With more than 40 years of experience in emergency medical response, the Norsk Luftambulanse supports pre-hospital care across the country. It is working alongside Airbus to come up with eVTOL solutions

eVTOL TECH TO BRIDGE INDIA'S AIR CONNECTIVITY GAP

The creation of an electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) ecosystem in India aligns with the Indian government’s Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) (Hindi: Let the common citizens of the country fly) initiative, a regional airport development programme undertaken for purpose of upgrading underserviced air routes and improving the Indian population’s access to air transportation. The UDAN initiative is part of the Indian government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)

JEKTA SIGNS LETTER OF INTENT WITH GAYO AVIATION FOR TEN PHA-ZE 100 AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT

THE JEKTA PHA-ZE 100 ELECTRICALLY POWERED AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT IN 19 seat configuration and on water

HEART AEROSPACE TO EXPLORE EARLY USE CASE FOR ELECTRIC ES-30 AIRPLANE WITH ÅLAND ISLANDS

On 23 March Swedish electric airplane maker Heart Aerospace and the Government of Åland announced a collaboration to explore the use of Heart’s electric regional airplane, the ES-30, in developing sustainable air services for the Baltic Sea group of islands

ZIPLINE UNVEILS NEW AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM CAPABLE OF QUIET, FAST AND PRECISE HOME DELIVERY

Last month Zipline unveiled its new platform that provides quiet, fast and precise autonomous delivery directly to homes in cities and suburbs. The company’s next-generation home delivery platform is practically silent (designed to sound like wind rustling leaves) and is expected to deliver up to seven times as fast as traditional automobile delivery, completing 10-mile deliveries in about 10 minutes

FLYH2 ANNOUNCES THE SUCCESSFUL MAIDEN FLIGHTS OF DRAGONFLY V

Cape Town based FlyH2 Aerospace has announced the successful maiden flights of its hydrogen-electric Dragonfly V, a commercial UAV (or drone) designed for a range of applications requiring long endurance or payload flexibility. The flight tests took place last week in Citrusdal, approximately two hours outside of Cape Town, South Africa

AIRBUS ACHIEVES IN-FLIGHT AUTONOMOUS GUIDANCE AND CONTROL OF A DRONE FROM A TANKER AIRCRAFT

Airbus Defence and Space and the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Airbus UpNext, have achieved in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone using an A310 MRTT

SPACEX CREW-6 STARTS ITS LONG MISSION

Following a successful lift-off from the Kennedy Space Centre’s storied Launch Complex 39A, the four crew-members manning NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission have safely attained Earth orbit.

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

Aviation has a very high impact on the planet, accounting for over two percent of global CO2 emissions, and nearly double that warming impact through non-CO2 effects. For this industry to persist in a zero-carbon world, we must find ways to reduce its impacts through new technology, operational efficiency, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and carbon offsets.

NESTE ON THE MOVE WITH SAF DEALS

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) manufacturer has signed several deals recently to boost use of SAF. Boeing has agreed to purchase Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel supplied by EPIC Fuels, Signature Aviation and Avfuel to power its US commercial operations through 2023. These fuel purchases more than double Boeing’s SAF procurement from last year. Neste’s SAF will be blended with conventional jet fuel at a 30/70 ratio to produce 5.6 million gallons of blended SAF.

ZEROAVIA HIGH TEMPERATURE FUEL CELL TESTING

On 9 March 2023 ZeroAvia announced that it has achieved record-breaking performance in testing of its High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HTPEM) systems. Early testing of the pressurised 20kW HTPEM stack power module in ZeroAvia’s UK R&D location has demonstrated a record 2.5 kW/kg specific power at the cell level, paving the way for 3+ kW/kg system level densities in the next 24 months.

DASH-8 FLIES ON PARTIAL HYDROGEN POWER

On the morning of 2 March 2023, Universal Hydrogen, the California energy concern about the commendable endeavour of making hydrogen-powered commercial flight a near-term reality flew its Lightning McClean, a De Havilland Dash 8-300 regional airliner under partial, hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion.