Advanced Air Mobility

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

After forming a strategic partnership in 2019, Alphabet company Loon and SoftBank subsidiary HAPSMobile have jointly developed a broadband-internet communications payload for the AeroVironment-designed Hawk30 high-altitude pseudo-satellite.

Air navigation service provider Airways New Zealand has entered into an agreement with a UK company to build on a proof-of-concept drone detection system currently being tested at Auckland Airport (NZAA).

Elbit will fly several different unmanned aircraft systems for the maritime demo, including its 1.2-metric-ton Hermes 900.

CP Technologies, a subsidiary of Israel’s Aeronautics, has established a business unit to pursue U.S. defense and civil markets for the parent company’s range of unmanned aircraft systems.

The New Zealand government has signed a memorandum of understanding with urban air mobility startup Wisk to conduct a “world-first” passenger transport trial using its Cora electric self-flying air taxi.

EASA drafts electric rules; unmanned cargo gliders; orbit debris removal; Uber engages on UAM; Honeywell eyes fluidic propulsion.

An old idea is gaining new attention as two companies report progress in developing cargo gliders.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt has formally ordered the “temporary cessation” of nonemergency drone operations.

UPS on Jan. 29 said it will expand its drone delivery program to the University of California Health complex in San Diego.

The signature disruption at the second-busiest UK airport has made the business case for installing counter-drone systems.

Uber is launching a three-year, “multimillion-dollar” community engagement plan to pave the way for the anticipated start of commercial urban aerial ride-sharing services in its pilot cities of Dallas, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia.

Japan Air Lines is to conduct a drone delivery demonstration with Yabu City, in Hyogo Province, and service provider Terra Drone.

Two Northrop Grumman MQ-4Cs have officially started the high-altitude UAS' first operational deployment, the U.S. Navy says.

Honeywell has partnered with U.S. startup Jetoptera to explore fluidic propulsion for military cargo and surveillance UAS.

Eviation’s Alice catches fire; Boeing teams on ducted fans; Boom plans XB-1 flights; SkyDrive readies eVTOL; Bell demos cargo drone.

A U.S. Air Force low-cost unmanned aircraft system demonstrator returned to flight on Jan. 23 after a three-month hiatus caused by a landing mishap.

Swiss Post announced Jan. 23 that it will resume transporting laboratory samples by drone, ending an eight-month grounding that the postal carrier ordered after one of its Matternet M2 quadcopters crashed in Zurich.

Automaker investments and flying prototypes are boosting the credibility of urban air mobility.

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

General Atomics wants to turn the MQ-1C into a “mothership” for the Army’s future Air Launched Effects (ALE).

Drone enterprise software developer PrecisionHawk on Jan. 23 announced a change of leadership.

The country that popularized unmanned aircraft systems in modern warfare is at the forefront of a new strategic change.

A weakened air cargo industry faces more challenges in 2020

A new era of high speed civil flight is beckoning but are commercial supersonic or even hypersonic aircraft justifiable amid rising concerns over aviation’s environmental impact? Guy Norris and Graham Warwick discuss this and other topics from AIAA’s annual SciTech forum where the global challenge of achieving sustainable aviation took center stage.