AAM_Tech_Developments

China’s XPeng AeroHT has completed the first public flight of its fifth-generation X2 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, in Dubai, as it prepares to release details of its planned sixth-generation fly/drive vehicle.

United Airlines has provided a glimpse of how it expects its sustainability plays to change the carrier’s fleet makeup by 2030, with its first electric-powered aircraft planned to be in service by then.

Sweden’s Heart Aerospace may have moved up to 30 seats to increase the appeal of its planned electric regional airliner, but French startup Aura Aero continues to pursue a 19-seater and has announced letters of intent for another 130 aircraft, taking the total to more than 330.

South Korean telecommunications provider KT has completed the country’s first 5G wireless network dedicated to urban air mobility.

Regent and TotalEnergies plan to explore the use of an electric seaglider to support the operations of offshore energy platforms such as oil rigs and wind turbines. The two companies plan to develop requirements and validate using one of Regent’s seagliders for offshore operations support, Regent said Sept. 30.

Five startups emerged as winners from the pitch-style final of an urban air mobility innovation challenge sponsored by the Vertical Lift Consortium, a collaboration that supports the Defense Department.

An electric four-seat aircraft developed by students at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich research university made its first flight on Sept. 30 in Dubendorf.

Already planning to develop an autonomous hydrogen-fueled air and road vehicle and associated landing and refueling infrastructure, U.S. startup LuftCar has announced plans to develop a fuel-cell/battery hybrid propulsion system for the advanced air mobility market.

Textron Aviation is to help startup ZeroAvia develop and certify a hydrogen-electric propulsion conversion for the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan single-turboprop utility aircraft.

One of the more unusual designs for an urban air taxi—Spanish company Umiles Next’s “drone-of-drones” Concept Integrity—has conducted flight tests at the Onera Test Field in Toulouse.

The first tethered hover of the VTOL comes more than two years after the initial prototype was rolled out.

Electra.aero conducted the first flight of its Dawn One solar-battery hybrid-electric research aircraft at its new development facility at Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia on Sept. 9.

First flight of the all-electric commuter and cargo aircraft prototype is a major milestone on the road toward the fielding of a new generation of sustainable air vehicles.

SkyDrive of Japan has unveiled renderings of its two-seater SD-05 electric vertical takeoff and landing passenger aircraft.

Vertical Aerospace has conducted the first tethered hover flight of the full-scale demonstrator for its VX4 electric air taxi, the startup staking the claim to be the first British company in 20 years to begin flight tests of a new aircraft.

Flights under the CORUS-XUAM project demonstrated collaborative interaction between aircraft in potential emergency situations.

Newfoundland-based startup Duxion Motors is preparing to run a subscale version of its eJet electric jet engine.

Airbus and Ecocopter of Chile sign memorandum of understanding to explore and define launch scenarios for air mobility operations.

Universal Hydrogen CEO and co-founder Paul Eremenko has another project lined up toward meeting his long-held goal of transforming regional air transportation

Mako Aerospace is a Scottish startup developing an electric jet engine for small regional airliners.

When Embraer launched its advanced air mobility efforts, the company took a slightly different tack.

Eviation Aircraft is set to begin high-speed taxi tests of the all-electric Alice aircraft in coming days as part of final preparations for first flight, says the company’s new CEO, Greg Davis.

AeroVironment has unveiled a visual-based navigation system for its Puma 2 AE and Puma 3 AE reconnaissance drones for situations when GPS signals are jammed or disrupted.

The FAA has awarded Raytheon Intelligence & Space an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a ceiling of $375 million over 10 years to upgrade the Wide Area Augmentation System space-based precision navigation system.

Detroit startup Airspace Experience Technologies has completed the first hover flight of its proof-of-concept Sigma Six, a tiltwing electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle with interchangeable plug-and-play payloads for defense, emergency response, cargo and passenger transport missions.