USAF has awarded Xwing a military flight release for its autonomous Cessna 208B Caravan and OK'd the aircraft for flying in the National Airspace System.
The U.S. Air Force has an interest in exploring small eVTOLs with light payloads between 400 and 500 lb., as well as even smaller aircraft with payloads of 100-250 lb.
U.S. startup VerdeGo Aero and Germany’s Roder Prazision have developed a version of the SR305 diesel-cycle aeroengine for use in hybrid-electric powertrains.
Under the AFWerx contract, Pittsburgh-based Near Earth will develop an architecture that enables autonomous aircraft to operate safely and efficiently.