Aurora Flight Sciences

Aurora’s Liberty Lifter; stratospheric HAPS; Radian’s subscale spaceplane; and GAC plans winged eVTOL air taxi.

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

The Boeing subsidiary’s proposed version of the Liberty Lifter demonstrator features a 213-ft. wingspan and the ability to carry up 50,000 lb. of cargo.

With a takeoff weight of 54 lb., the Skiron-XLE complies with FAA Part 107 regulations for small drones.

The facility in Chelveston, England, is planned to be operational by 2025.

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

Bell has been named as the second performer under Phase 1B of a DARPA program to build a high-speed vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) X-plane.

Airbus Cryoprop superconducting propulsion; North American hydrogen hub airports; Aurora’s high-speed VTOL; CAE’s electric Archer trainer.

Aurora Flight Sciences has unveiled a refined concept for a fan-in-wing high-speed vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.

The U.S. Department of Defense advanced its effort to deploy personnel and materiel to coastal regions by air last week.

DARPA is likely to make a down select for a high-speed vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) prototype program within weeks.

Future battlefields with dispersed units and contested logistics are driving DARPA’s new portfolio of disruptive investments.

The project is developing a digital twin of Aurora’s Skiron-X expeditionary uncrewed aircraft.

High-speed testbeds make progress; validating a digital twin; non-CO2 emissions road map; power-beamed UAV; SAF via bacteria.

Round the world on hydrogen; first-responder VTOL competition; stop-fold tiltrotor; another Chinese eVTOL.

The Aurora Flight Sciences team is competing with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) during phase 1B of the Liberty Lifter program.

Active flow control promises to be lighter, less complex and higher-performing than movable flight controls.

DARPA has decided to move forward with a new X-plane designed by Aurora Flight Sciences.

Fan-in-wing high-speed VTOL; JAL eyes hydrogen-electric; China’s firefighting eVTOL; Wright hybrid-electric testbed; and Islander to fly 5G.

DARPA plans to select designs from one or more of the companies to build a prototype to fly in 2027.

A two-decade trend of failed X-plane projects at the agency appears to be reversing, with a recent switch to a scaled-down approach producing results.

South Korean researchers have developed a humanoid robot capable of understanding flight manuals and flying an aircraft without cockpit modifications.

The EL-2 Goldfinch’s multiple electric propellers blow the wing to enable ultra-short takeoffs and landings.

Boeing and Aurora Flight Sciences on June 20 announced a joint effort to develop new defensive systems and countermeasures for the KC-46 and future tankers.

A new DARPA aircraft designed by Aurora Flight Sciences to experiment with active flow control technology has been designated the X-65.