The test center at Pontoise-Cormeilles will be used for real-world trials of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft and the supporting ecosystem.
Japan’s SoftBank is to issue its first sustainability bond to raise funds for its high-altitude platform system business, which plans to operate solar-powered stratospheric unmanned aircraft as airborne base stations for internet connectivity.
Vertical says it remains on track to start flight tests in early 2022 as it targets certification for the VA-X4 in 2024 and entry-into-service in 2025.
In South Korea Volocopter and Kakao Mobility are to study the feasibility of operating UAM services, a technology that Seoul wants to see commercialized by 2025.
Unmanned cargo aircraft startup Elroy Air has partnered with humanitarian transport operator AYR Logistics to develop an autonomous aerial delivery service. AYR has committed to purchasing up to 100 of Elroy’s Chaparral vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo aircraft.
Flight services provider DroneUp and Walmart have agreed to launch on-demand package deliveries by drone at three Walmart stores in northwest Arkansas, the companies announced Nov. 22.
Dubai has launched a program to enable drone transportation by creating an infrastructure to test unmanned aircraft in designated areas and develop legislation to enable their implementation.
The 10 years that separate the first hover flights of the Volocopter VC1 and eMagic Aircraft’s eMagic One illustrate the advances made in a decade by electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing technology.
Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing startup AutoFlight has identified European technology investor Lukasz Gadowski as the source of the $100 million Series A investment announced in September.
Solar-powered aircraft developer Skydweller Aero has partnered with Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica to explore the use of its long-endurance unmanned aircraft to expand cellular coverage.
A growing number of seasoned aerospace executives are bringing their experience to startups working to disrupt aviation. The latest is Fred Cromer, the former President of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
Flytrex’s delivery system uses a multicopter drone that flies autonomously beyond line of sight and hovers to safely lower the package by wire to the customer in the ground.
When an electric ground vehicle and a hydrogen-fueled airframe come together, the result could be an elegant solution for cargo and personal transportation.
Ferrovial Airports’ senior vice president of corporate development shares the company’s vertiport plans and predicts how MRO will differ for advanced air mobility.
South African aerostructures manufacturer Aerosud aviation has signed a memorandum of understanding with UK startup Samad Aerospace for the development and manufacture of the Starling Cargo unmanned aircraft.
With the South Korean government making a proactive effort to commercialize urban air mobility by 2025, two consortiums have announced plans to develop and test the required ecosystem.
China will likely be the first geographic region to embrace urban air mobility and will dominate the market through 2035 when the U.S. is projected to take over market leadership.
Diehl Aerospace and Thales are to work with Airbus to develop the flight control system for Airbus’ electric vertical takeoff and landing advanced air mobility platform.
The ability to deliver whole blood by unmanned aircraft over long distances to medics treating traumatic injuries in the field has been demonstrated by L3Harris and Near Earth Autonomy.
Xtend, an Israeli-linked UAV operator system startup that aims to use artificial intelligence to help extend the use and range of unmanned vehicles, has raised $20 million in Series A funding, the company announced Nov. 16.
As urban air mobility leaders target congested cities such as Los Angeles as launch markets for air taxi services, efforts to secure convenient vertiport locations are accelerating.
