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.
Advanced battery developer Amprius Technologies is to go public through a merger with a blank-check company with the intent of using the funding raised to scale up production of high-energy-density silicon-anode lithium-ion batteries and aviation as an initial target market.
Design changes and component supply issues have pushed back the first flight of the certification prototype for Harbour Air Seaplanes’ conversion of the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver to electric propulsion.
Start-up Overwatch Imaging of Hood River, Oregon, has closed an $11 million Series A financing round to advance its precision imaging payloads designed for drones and general aviation aircraft.
Hexcel has signed a letter of intent with Archer Aviation to provide high-performance carbon fiber materials for the electric vertical takeoff and landing startup’s production air taxi.
Package carrier FedEx Express is planning to conduct tests of startup Elroy Air’s Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft in 2023 in its middle-mile logistics operations, moving shipments between sorting locations.
