Aerospace

EMBRAER delivered seven commercial jets (three E1s/four E2s) in 1Q24 vs seven (five/two) in 1Q23, and now has 381 on backlog. It also delivered 18 business jets (11 Phenoms/seven Praetors) in 1Q24 vs eight (six/two) in 1Q23.

ARCLINE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT completed acquisition of KAMAN for $1.8b cash (SPNWS; January 26).

The RX series is being developed by the Liaoning General Aviation Academy (LGAA) based in Shenyang, China.

As it looks ahead to a first flight of its electric propulsion unit this year, UK startup Evolito has appointed an experienced aerospace executive as chief technology officer.

Japanese helicopter charter service AirX has signed a letter of intent with Eve Air Mobility for up to 10 firm and 40 option eVTOL air taxis.

Canada’s Harbour Air Seaplanes has confirmed plans to electrify its De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers and to offer the propulsion conversion to other operators.

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.