Aircraft & Propulsion

Advanced air mobility developer Beta Technologies has raised $375 million in financing to support ongoing development of its Alia-250 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and ground charging infrastructure.

The Ukrainian military has more combat aircraft operating than weeks ago because of a surge of spare parts from other nations that operate the same Soviet-era aircraft, the Pentagon said.

Dassault Aviation has received the first down payment from the United Arab Emirates under the December 2021 contract for 80 Rafale fighters, the airframer announced late on April 19.

Despite advanced self-defense systems, Russian helicopters are suffering losses.

Despite advances in electric propulsion and battery energy density, as well as a patent filing showing its interest in hybrid-electric systems, Bell is taking a more conventional route to AFWerx’s High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing Challenge.

The U.S. Air Force and Boeing this month reached an agreement on the preliminary design review (PDR) of the KC-46 tanker’s Remote Vision System, ending a several-month stalemate between the two sides on how to move forward on an issue with the jet’s panoramic display.

The U.S. Air Force plans to cut F-35A orders for a second year beyond the previously announced fiscal 2023 budget request, then start ramping up

Lockheed Martin executives said April 19 that they remain optimistic for a short-term breakthrough in negotiations over the next three annual lots of

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has sent three upgraded Block 52 Lockheed Martin F-16D+ aircraft to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, as the type enters its next phase of certification and testing

Bell’s UH-1 Huey, the iconic helicopter of the Vietnam War era, operates in almost all Latin American countries across their air forces, armies and navies.

A potential order for five electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft by the U.S. Air Force in fiscal 2023 may not register on lists of the largest customers for the flying taxi industry, but could still have a major impact on the experimental technology.

Russia has suffered heavy helicopter losses in Ukraine.

The U.S. Air Force’s planned uncrewed wingmen for the B-21 bomber and the next-generation fighter need to be able to adapt with modular payloads based on changing threats, the top U.S. Air Force officer says.

Operations with the Soviet-era combat aircraft ended on April 15 over concerns about “aviation events and accidents."

A four-decade-old Boeing 747-200 simulator that was headed for disposal has been refurbished to train the U.S. Air Force’s Doomsday plane pilots as part of an effort to increase the overall readiness of the four-plane E-4B Nightwatch fleet.

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

A 12-year sales campaign for the optionally piloted Firebird failed to attract a production order.

Ukraine has added “heavy drones” made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. to an urgent shopping list of advanced weapons to fight against Russian invaders.

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of 12 Bell AH-1Z attack helicopters to Nigeria worth an estimated $997 million.

As the service looks to cut KC-10s and KC-135s, it is expressing more confidence in the KC-46 despite continued deficiencies in its development.

Flight controls and mission systems for the next U.S. Air Force fighter will be designed to use separate software instructions, according to the service's chief of staff.

The first NATO Boeing E-3 Sentry has been flown to Italy to be inducted into the Final Lifetime Extension Program (FLEP).

Spirit AeroSystems will supply pylons and nacelles for the initial phase of a program to re-engine the Boeing B-52H fleet, the Wichita-based aerostructures company said on April 12.

South Korea will be setting aside KRW2.3 trillion ($1.9 billion) for a series of procurement and missile programs, including a requirement for large transport aircraft for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF).

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said he wants to boost the country’s armed uncrewed aircraft system capability by adding Turkish platforms to the Chinese UAS already in service.