By Carole Rickard Hedden, Garrett Reim, Graham Warwick
As Archer Aviation unveils its four-passenger production air taxi, the Midnight, Aviation Week editors discuss the shifting competitive dynamics in the nascent advanced air mobility market where three rival OEMs with differing approaches push toward FAA certification and operation.
Boosting funding support for China’s emerging advanced air mobility industry, four of the country leading state-controlled banks have jointly extended $846 million in credit to XPeng AeroHT.
Merlin is developing the Merlin Pilot autonomous flight system and is working on FAA supplemental type certification of the capability, initially on the Cessna Caravan.
Australian startup Dovetail has selected Mobius.energy to supply the battery system for its planned conversion of the Cessna Grand Caravan and other commuter aircraft to electric propulsion.
Electric Power System has secured another battery pack supply contract in the emerging electric aircraft market with its selection to provide the energy storage system for Ampaire’s hybrid-electric Eco Caravan conversion of the Cessna Caravan single-turboprop utility aircraft.
The aerospace technology and component provider has begun ramping-up its 787 production lines; “[It’s] a factor that will increase FACC’s revenue stream as we speak,” the CEO says.
Honeywell Aerospace’s plans to supply flight-control actuation and thermal-management technologies to Archer Aviation for its electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.
Tailwind Technologies, the parent company of Hartzell Propeller, Hartzell Engine Tech and Hartzell Aerospace Welding, has formed Hartzell Aviation to combine the three brands under one umbrella, the company announced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
Electric Power Systems plans to ship its first EPiC modular propulsion batteries to electric-aircraft developers this summer for testing in their system-integration laboratories.
The advanced air mobility supply base is beginning to look quite familiar to aerospace industry watchers, as established companies with commercial aircraft experience are rising to the top. It is a trend that was reinforced by news from the Farnborough International Airshow.
German start-up carrier Evia Aero has signed a letter of intent with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) to buy 10 conversion kits that will enable nine-seat Britten Norman Islander aircraft to fly regional routes in northern Europe on hydrogen.
More details of the architecture of the Lilium Jet electric regional air taxi have emerged as the German startup has named Astronics to develop the power distribution system.
GKN Aerospace says confidence is growing around its hybrid, hydrogen-electric aerospace propulsion solution the company is pursuing as part of its UK government-backed H2Gear research and technology project.
Airline information technology provider SITA is to supply its Smart Path biometric identity management technology as a component of the passenger journey through vertiports to be developed by the UK’s Skyports.
Regional turboprop lessor Monte Aircraft Leasing has agreed to purchase up to 100 hydrogen-electric powertrains from zero-emission propulsion startup ZeroAvia for installation on new and existing Cessna Caravans and De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters as well as Dornier 228s and HAL-228s.
Startups continue to drive the evolving advanced air mobility industry but as more companies move into certification and toward production and operation, familiar aerospace names are appearing.
Embraer’s urban air mobility spinoff Eve has engaged Porsche Consulting to help define the supply chain, manufacturing and logistics strategy for its electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle.
Honeywell is looking to push continuous operation of its megawatt generator to higher levels having recently run the hybrid-electric aircraft power system at up to 1.02 megawatts.
German eVTOL manufacturer Lilium has signed a formal partnership with its avionics provider Honeywell and Japanese automotive specialist DENSO to co-develop and manufacture electric motors for the Lilium Jet.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has selected Swiss-based H55 to supply battery systems for the engine maker’s regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program.
