Aerospace

The FAA gave Varda Space permission to launch in June 2023 without a reentry license, and the regulator does not want to repeat the situation.

Aura Aero has received the permit to fly its Integral E two-seat electric trainer, the French startup says.

Japan’s ShinMaywa Industries is considering collaborating with a maritime search-and-rescue support service using an uncrewed amphibian, the XU-M, now in flight testing.

An audit of the in-service Airbus H160 twin-engine medium helicopter fleet confirms a lower empty weight and lower-than-anticipated fuel consumption.

The approx. $120 million NASA Earth science campaign aims to bring airborne scientific insight to environmental concerns and is set to unfold over 2026 to 2029.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) is set to be the prime contractor for Japan’s hydrogen project, with an engine demonstrator currently in the assembly phase.

Embraer delivered 25 jets in 1Q24, an increase of 67% compared to the 15 aircraft delivered in 1Q23.

Saudia saw a strong performance for Q1 2024, recording a 19% year-over-year increase in the total number of guests during the first quarter.

Axiom and Collins are working on new spacesuits for the agency’s lunar and LEO programs.

Electric trainer tested; design tools for hydrogen aircraft; uncrewed amphibian; turbine hybrid; and cargo eVTOL.

EHang returned to the top slot in the April 2024 edition of the AAM Reality Index, with a score of 8.5/10.

The AAM Stock Composite was mostly flat during the week ending April 19, as a rise in EHang’s share price offset weakness elsewhere in the unweighted index.

AeroHT, a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng, is to establish an urban air mobility demonstration site in China.

ShinMaywa remains optimistic on the export potential of its US-2 seaplane for parapublic purposes.

A Boeing engineer has come forward to challenge claims made by the OEM on the long-term safety of the 787, sparking a new round of scrutiny for the beleaguered manufacturer. Aviation Week editors break it all down.

Progress on 787 quality problems is challenged by whistleblower claims of long-term fleet safety risks.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

ELECTRA.AERO secured $1.9m Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from US Army to fund powered wind tunnel testing of its hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft; deal enables Army to explore blown wing aircraft technology.

EMBRAER and AICAT (Austrian Industrial Cooperation & Aviation Technology) signed MOU to explore opportunities such as joint research, technology development and contributions from Austrian ecosystem to Embraer's supply chain.

DHL EXPRESS SLOVENIJA is building 8,400 sq meter logistics center at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik to open in 2025 to handle 3,500 packages per hour.

MEYER TOOL is doubling size of its manufacturing facility in Benton, ME to 40,000 sq ft to support Pratt & Whitney programs; products produced on site include large-diameter engine components and airframe actuator housings/shafts.

GE AEROSPACE was selected by KLM to provide Fuel Insight software to increase fuel efficiency for aircraft operations.

Aalto HAPS has purchased Ampirus Technologies’ 450 Wh/kg SiMaxx lithium-ion cells for its stratospheric Zephyr UAV.

The second of two Blue Origin BE-4 engines has arrived at United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Decatur, Alabama, factory for installation on a Vulcan rocket.

Archer Aviation has opened a new regulatory affairs office in Washington as it looks to ramp up lobbying efforts ahead of expected entry-into-service in 2025.