Aircraft & Propulsion

CEO Dirk Hoke will leave Volocopter in February 2025 and Dieter Zetsche, former CEO of Daimler-Benz, has been named Chairman of the AAM startup's Advisory Board

China’s AeroHT, a subsidiary of electric vehicle manufacturer XPeng, has publicly debuted its Land Aircraft Carrier, but slipped first deliveries of the combination ground-air vehicle into 2026.

C-130J as a hydrogen demonstrator; fuel cells for European regional project; ductile composites for LH2 tanks.

China’s AG600 seaplane has entered the Type Inspection Approval (TIA) phase, completing airspeed calibration test flight on Aug. 30, AVIC has announced.

Aura Aero is closing in on certifying an aerobatic two-seater and working to raise the required equity to develop its 19-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft.

Korean Air has begun fueling a scheduled flight with a 1% SAF blend from its base at Seoul Incheon International Airport.

Parts-supply specialist Heico is seeing some customers cut back on purchasing, but broader aftermarket demand remains strong amid continued new-equipment delivery struggles.

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

Greater government clarity and urgency is required if aviation is to reach 2050 “net-zero” carbon-emissions status, says a company engineering the transition.

A newly appointed special commission will investigate the cause of the crash, the air force said.

Not only are supply chain issues affecting offshore helicopter operations failing to improve, they are now spreading to other helicopter manufacturers, the energy industry’s trade body warns.

Hydrogen-electric propulsion is going to start in the subregional sector. Can it grow into mainstream aviation?

Boeing is working to identify why a common structural load-carrying component was found damaged on all 777-9 test aircraft.

Brazilian startup Moya Aero has made its first transition with a subscale version of its tiltbody uncrewed electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle.

GE Aerospace subsidiary Dowty on advances in aircraft propeller blade designs and their impacts on maintenance processes.

Dufour Aerospace has conducted the first hover flight of the production-ready prototype for its Aero2 tiltwing hybrid eVTOL UAS.

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator made a successful second flight from Mojave Air & Space Port, California, on Aug. 26.

H3 Dynamics will supply fuel cells to a project developing a modular, distributed hybrid hydrogen-electric propulsion system for future regional aircraft

MagniX unveils hybrid testbed; VoloCity vibration testing; UK gets first vertiport; electric aircraft training.

The hypersonic aircraft developer has completed low-speed taxi tests of its Quarterhorse Mk. 1 vehicle ahead of flight tests planned for later this year.

The goals of the U.S. National Defense Industrial Strategy need to be truly implemented to open the market to companies outside the traditional competitors.

Multiple energy-dense battery options are becoming available for aviation use, but are they good enough?

Amid growing skepticism that airlines can achieve net zero emissions in 2050, a report lays out a road map for rapidly scaling up SAF. Listen in as one of those skeptics, Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick, talks with a co-author of the plan.

The startup’s blended wing plan is moving forward with new airline funding and a growing development team.

Robinson Helicopter’s tie-up with United Therapeutics to develop a hybrid-electric version of the R66 is a sign of new CEO David Smith’s drive for innovation.