AAM_Tech_Developments

By Graham Warwick
No one has made a piloted flight of a full-scale, type-design-conforming electric aircraft that has included a vertical takeoff and landing and demonstrated the design payload and range.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
With the goal of being able to develop tourism sustainably, Air Greenland has partnered with lessor Avolon to explore the potential for zero-emission domestic air travel using Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 electric air taxi.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Embraer has forged a set of partnerships for a project to develop systems for autonomous aviation.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Collins Aerospace is to develop a specialized cargo loading system for the N3.8T large unmanned cargo aircraft under development by Natilus.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Universal Hydrogen (UH2) and fuel-cell powertrain developer H3 Dynamics have partnered to develop zero-emission propulsion systems for unmanned aircraft, air taxis and new-design regional aircraft.
Emerging Technologies

By Carole Rickard Hedden
German startup Volocopter jumped into the second position on the Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index, but still trails market leader Joby Aviation.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Slovakian startup AeroMobil is briefing potential investors on its plans to set up the first door-to-door aerial ridesharing service in the U.S. using a four-seat drive/fly vehicle.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Two U.S. Air Force pilots have become the first to conduct crewed test flights of an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft under the service’s Agility Prime program.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Bill Carey
An FAA advisory group has recommended regulatory requirements for flying small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) beyond the vision of an operator, a capability considered key to the commercial exploitation of drones
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
U.S. startup Regent, which is developing sea-skimming electric seagliders to serve overwater routes between coastal cities, has selected Allocortech to provide safety-critical avionics for its technology demonstrator.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
On the path to implementing pre-commercial services during the Paris 2024 Olympics, a European demonstration program has completed its first field tests of U-space airspace services to support urban and intercity operations with unmanned and manned aircraft.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Using distributed electric propulsion to blow air over the wing and flaps promises to enable ultra-short-takeoff-and-landing capability but poses challenges for flight control because of the strong coupling between aerodynamics and propulsion, between generating lift and producing thrust.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Garrett Reim
Whisper Aero plans to test its quiet propulsor technology on a 55-lb. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance demonstrator drone as part of two Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer contracts.
Emerging Technologies

By Graham Warwick
The project will modify a Dornier 328 regional turboprop with a zero-emission hydrogen-electric powertrain; the demonstrator aircraft is planned to fly in 2025.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
With 15 years of experience with hydrogen propulsion over six generations of fuel-cell powertrain, Germany’s H2Fly is preparing to take the next steps: flying on liquid hydrogen and moving up to a 40-seat regional airliner.
Air Transport

By Guy Norris
Robinson Helicopter says it will switch to electric power for its light helicopters when it “makes sense” and is closely watching progress being made by California-based Tier 1 Engineering on a battery-powered R44 conversion program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Chen Chuanren
A joint taskforce will assess challenges around green hydrogen regulations, infrastructure and global supply chains, including the production of green hydrogen and the infrastructure needed to support delivery to airports and fuel aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
European technology company MARSS has developed a reusable hard kill capability for use against adversary unmanned air systems (UAS).
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
U.S. startup CoFlow Jet has struck an agreement with NASA to commercialize deflected-slipstream technology that would enable an electric vertical/short takeoff and landing (eV/STOL) aircraft to transition to efficient cruise without requiring tilting mechanisms or separate lift rotors.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
UK startup Stratospheric Platforms has demonstrated the ability to transmit 5G cell phone signals from a high altitude.
Connected Aerospace

By Graham Warwick
In November 2018, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology flew an aircraft on a propulsion system with no moving parts.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
South Korean startup Plana has unveiled plans to develop a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi with the range to enable intercity flights and service entry planned for 2028.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
The Workhorse Group may have sold off its SureFly electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi program to Moog, but the U.S. electric delivery truck maker is continuing to develop its Horsefly unmanned aircraft.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Indian multinational engineering services provider Tech Mahindra is collaborating with Aska on the design of the U.S. startup’s drive/fly electric vertical takeoff and landing commuter vehicle.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Large electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) “buses” could find a role operating alongside air taxis on commuter flights and dense routes such as airport shuttles, according to a study being led by GK Aerospace under the UK’s Future Flight Challenge.
Aircraft & Propulsion