Vertical Aerospace has selected Leonardo’s aerostructures division to design, test and manufacture the carbon-composite fuselage for its planned VX4 air taxi.
Potential military missions for the aircraft include “island hopping and distributed cargo logistics in the Indo-Pacific theater or operations in areas with limited infrastructure like Africa,” an Electra executive says.
Chinese-owned Dornier Seawings has acquired the rights to a light amphibious aircraft that it plans to produce alongside the 12-passenger Seastar CD2 flying boat.
South Korea’s ambition to launch urban air mobility services in 2025 has been boosted by the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement between air taxi developer Joby Aviation and Korean telecommunications giant SK Telecom.
U.S. regional airline Mesa Air Group has invested in startup Regent and signed a letter of intent to purchase 200 of its sea-skimming electric seagliders for overwater routes between coastal cities.
Japanese equipment and machinery leasing company Fuyo General Lease has invested in Bye Aerospace and “entered into a capital alliance” to support the Colorado-based startup’s development of electric-powered aircraft.
GE Aviation has teamed with Boeing and its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to modify a Saab 340B into a flying hybrid electric testbed for the recently awarded NASA Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project.
The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to bring charges against a key figure in the trade secrets lawsuit launched by Boeing-backed Wisk against rival electric air taxi developer Archer Aviation.
Bell Textron has successfully demonstrated operation of its Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) 70 unmanned cargo aircraft with a ground-based detect and avoid system as part of broader infrastructure development efforts for advanced air mobility.
Bloomberg’s Hyperdrive newsletter outlines several actions taken in China relative to electric power and autonomy that could be harbingers of what’s up next around the world.
The first release of the AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) Reality Index for 2022 shows some changes in ranking driven by progress in air vehicle development. Joby remains at the top of the rankings, followed by Beta Technologies.
Working with Deutsche Aircraft, Germany’s H2Fly is planning to fly a 40-seat Dornier 328 regional aircraft modified to hydrogen-electric propulsion in 2026, and the companies are aiming for certification and market entry in 2028.
Universal Hydrogen has completed a 1-megawatt iron bird for ground testing of its zero-emissions fuel-cell propulsion system and announced the first customer in France for its regional aircraft conversion.
Aircraft propulsion batteries with three times the pack-level energy density of today’s automotive technology may be achievable in the next decade if enough investment is targeted at aeronautical applications, a new report published in Nature concludes.
Lilium has hired Andrew Strachan as its first aircraft test pilot. Strachan has 30 years of experience as a test pilot, including in the UK Royal Air Force, and he recently flew the AW101 helicopter in the James Bond film “Skyfall.”
The helicopter operator believes the electric-powered advanced air mobility vehicles it has on order will require less MRO work than its current fleet.
Composites have a critical role to play in the advanced air mobility industry, and it goes beyond enabling lightweight vehicles believes Solvay, the Brussels-headquartered international chemicals company.
After four years as CEO of electric propulsion pioneer MagniX, and later additionally as executive chairman of electric aircraft startup Eviation, Roei Ganzarski stepped down from both companies in January, sending a shockwave through the young industry.
Already cooperating with the U.S. Air Force through its Agility Prime program, startup Beta Technologies has received a contract from the U.S. Army to support flight testing of its Alia electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Hydroplane is a California-based startup developing a modular hydrogen fuel-cell powerplant producing up to one megawatt of power for general aviation, urban air mobility and vertical lift aircraft.
A Middle Eastern air force has conducted the first deployments of Yates Electrospace’s Silent Arrow GD-2000 unmanned cargo glider to take place outside the U.S., the company announced Jan. 31.
Honeywell is preparing to begin an accelerated development and test program for an aircraft electric propulsion unit developed with Japanese electric motor producer Denso.
