Advanced Air Mobility

Beta certification progress; Elroy matures cargo eVTOL; Ampaire’s hybrid-electric APU; and AIR picks SunTrax as base.

Archer sees defense, autonomy and AI as building blocks of a broader aerospace business that can support its longer-term air taxi ambitions.

After its Lift Challenge came tantalizingly close to demonstrating that a drone can lift four times its own weight, DARPA has launched a program to mature the technology for military and commercial applications.

Yivtol delivers its ultralight eVTOL to North America, with plans for global insurance, FAA certification and U.S. manufacturing.

Skypuzzler is developing a “digital air traffic controller” that it says could provide the tactical deconfliction needed as drone operations scale beyond today’s relatively low-density operations.

LATAM Airlines is using drones to more quickly transport small maintenance materials between its warehouse and workshops.

Plans for drone deliveries in the U.S. are accelerating as the FAA prepares to release a final rule enabling routine BVLOS commercial operations.

The competition narrowly misses the target of quadrupling drone payload-to-weight ratio.

The FAA’s initiative to showcase advanced air mobility (AAM) is gathering pace, with Electra.aero demonstrating hybrid-electric flights connecting small local airports to major airline hubs.

Flyte builds a regional air mobility network with Vision Jets, targeting expansion and preparing for eVTOL integration as next-generation aircraft become available.

China’s AutoFlight has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesian helicopter operator Whitesky Aviation for 60 V2000EM Prosperity passenger eVTOLs.

Lockheed Martin and Verizon have demonstrated the ability to detect small drones using signals from existing cellular networks.

Archer CEO says the Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid acquisitions transform the air taxi developer into a diversified A&D company.

Israeli startup AIR selects Florida’s SunTrax as its U.S. manufacturing and flight test site for the personal eVTOL aircraft.

Chinese eVTOL developer AutoFlight conducted an uncrewed flight of its Prosperity air taxi on July 24.

Electric aircraft startup Joby Aviation is to acquire U.S. defense contractor Resonant Sciences, a developer of radomes and antennas for radar, electronic warfare, communications and navigation, for $450 million in cash and $50 million in equity.

Archer Aviation plans to acquire Boeing subsidiaries Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid in a deal that gives the eVTOL developer a major position in autonomous flight, uncrewed aircraft and airspace management technology.

Danny Deep has been appointed to the board of directors of General Dynamics, the parent company of Gulfstream Aerospace.

Divisions between the U.S. and Europe on certifying commercial eVTOL air taxis, and the safety levels demanded have been codified in new guidance issued by the FAA.

DARPA’s Lift Challenge pushes drone payload-to-weight limits, with Avidrone winning by carrying 3.84 times its weight over a 5-mi. course.

Drone interceptors for hire; DoorDash delivery drones; UK funds boost aerospace; and European UAM demo.

Ampaire has begun hybrid-electric flight operations in Utah under the FAA eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.

Joby Aviation is accelerating aircraft production and manufacturing as it prepares to begin flights under the U.S. eVTOL Integration Pilot Program in September.

China’s NUAA completes the first flight of its Qizhi-5 tiltrotor UAS, advancing long-range vertical-lift technology with a 1,900 km range.

U.S. startup Impact Drones has launched out of stealth offering drone interceptors as a service to protect data centers, airports, power grids and other infrastructure.