Aerospace & Defense Roundup: June 07

A German helicopter emergency medical service operator has carried out the first rotary-wing rescue flight using sustainable aviation fuel. ADAC Luftrettung announced June 7 it had used the fuel, processed from used cooking oil by France’s TotalEnergies, onboard one of its H145 twin-engine light helicopters. Credit: ADAC Luftrettung/Theo Klein

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said he will be aboard for the first crewed flight of the company’s New Shepard suborbital space transportation system, along with his brother Mark, the winner of an ongoing auction and possibly up to three additional passengers. Credit: Jeff Bezos Instagram

Joby Aviation has laid out its road map to achieve type certification of its electric air taxi and obtain its air operator certificate in order to begin commercial aerial ridesharing services in U.S. cities in 2024. Credit: Bradley Wentzel / Joby Aviation

Hard on the heels of its agreement with UK and U.S. helicopter operator Halo Aviation, Embraer spinoff Eve Urban Air Mobility has partnered with Brazil’s Helisul Aviation to develop an ecosystem for aerial ridesharing. The agreement includes an order for up to 50 electric air taxis. Credit: Eve

A Boeing-funded prototype of a U.S. Navy MQ-25 Stingray pumped about 325 lb. of jet fuel into a Boeing F/A-18F at about 10,000ft over Missouri on June 4, marking another key step in the technological evolution of autonomous aerial refueling and helping smooth the MQ-25’s path into operational service in fiscal 2025. Credit: Boeing

Last month’s unprecedented incursion by China into Malaysian airspace is a wake-up call for Kuala Lumpur to reevaluate its defense priorities and security threats, even as it continues to drag its feet on air force modernization. On May 31, 16 Chinese military transport aircraft carried out an unannounced flight operation into the Kota Kinabalu Flight Information Region, entering Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone and prompting the scramble of three Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) Hawks to intercept the flight. Credit: Chen Chuanren

Bell’s AH-1Z Viper looks set to become the second attack helicopter to be fitted with the Link 16 tactical data link. Flight testing of a capability developed by Northrop Grumman has begun using a Marine Corps AH-1Z assigned to the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps

The Danish Air Force looks set to be among the first air arms to induct an electric-powered training aircraft. The Danish ministry of defense has confirmed it will introduce a pair of Pipestrel Velis Electro twin-seat training aircraft in fall 2021. They will be used to support basic flight training alongside the air force’s Saab T-17 Supporter training aircraft. Credit: Pipestrel