Category: Aviation

Zephyr acts as a tower in the sky, complementing terrestrial networks.

Airbus HAPS Connectivity Business (Airbus HAPS) has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Space Compass Corporation of Japan (Space Compass) for a cooperation agreement to service the Japanese market with mobile connectivity and earth observation services from the Stratosphere with Airbus’ Zephyr platform.

“Our dedicated team will be working closely with Space Compass to offer 4G/5G low-latency mobile services, at unprecedented economics. Our innovative, record-breaking, green-energy-powered, platform is attracting interest from multiple mobile network operators and satellite and other service providers globally,” said Samer Halawi, Chief Executive of Airbus HAPS.

Continue reading… “Airbus Solar-Powered Aircraft to Provide Connectivity Services in Japan”

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a… flying car? That’s right, folks. The future is now, and flying cars are (finally) a reality. To simplify the concept, a flying car is a type of personal aircraft that combines the features of an aeroplane and a car.

BY VIGNESH R

The flying car trend is rising as companies race to develop the first commercially viable model. Several prototypes have been developed recently, and several companies are vying for the first flying car manufacturer title. Recently, SkyDrive got $66M funding to develop flying cars and cargo drones, also there was a flying motorbike startup which was in the news, earlier this year. 

The market for flying cars is expected to be worth billions of dollars, and there is significant interest from major automakers and tech giants alike. Flying cars could revolutionise transportation and make getting around much easier, faster, and more efficient.

Continue reading… “Alef Aeronautics’ flying car with street driving and vertical take-off ability impresses Tesla investors”

By VYTE KLISAUSKAITE

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) intends to develop a next-generation military vertical take-off and landing VTOL demonstrator for the military. 

The project, called ANCILLARY and part of the X-Plane program, aims to apply innovation and technology from the commercial eVTOL sector to develop new architecture and design in the military sector “required for a leap ahead low-weight, high-payload, and long-endurance VTOL capabilities”.  

DARPA highlighted that its main goal is to build a military VTOL unmanned aircraft system that could launch without complex launch-and-recovery infrastructure, thus enabling its expeditionary deployments.  

Continue reading… “DARPA to develop next-gen military VTOL demonstrator”

They have the potential to revolutionize air travel in cities around the world, United says.

By Eric Kiefer

On Thursday, United Airlines announced that it is investing $15 million in Eve Air Mobility with a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft, plus an option to buy 200 more.

NEWARK, NJ — United Airlines is on the “Eve” of a new paradigm when it comes to air travel, the company says. And according to United, its goal of creating a fleet of electric flying taxis continues to lift off.

On Thursday, the Chicago-headquartered airline – which maintains a hub in Newark, New Jersey – announced that it is investing $15 million in Eve Air Mobility with a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft, plus an option to buy 200 more. The first deliveries of the cutting-edge vehicles may come as early as 2026.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies intend to work on future projects, including studies on the development, use and application of Eve’s aircraft and the urban air mobility (UAM) ecosystem.

This week’s announcement marks another big investment from United in flying taxis – or electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) – which “have the potential to revolutionize the commuter experience in cities around the world,” the airline claims.

What makes the vehicles so unique? According to United, rather than relying on traditional combustion engines, eVTOL aircraft are designed to use electric motors, providing carbon-free flights and making them excellent fits to serve as “air taxis” in urban markets.

Continue reading… “United Airlines Is Building A Fleet Of Electric Flying Taxis”

It’s a little boring to fly. And that’s actually a good thing.

By Tony Ho Tran

It’s easier to operate a flying ATV than you think—or, at least it was for me. That’s not a humblebrag either. It was designed so any idiot like me—who backs up into his recycling bin every time he pulls out of the driveway—can jump in and use it.

Making sure I fly without freaking out, though, was another question entirely.

“Alright, you’re doing great,” the voice of Mick Kowitz, the CEO and founder of RYSE Aero Technologies, chirped in my ear via a radio relay in my helmet. “Now just pull back on the left handle and press the button to take off.”

The machine I was sitting in—dubbed the RECON—is known as an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and it’s Kowitz’s brainchild. While not technically a flying ATV, it’s pretty damn close. As I pulled back on the handle, six battery powered propellers whirred to life around me and my seat began to rumble. Images of the new Top Gun movie flashed in my mind’s eye before a macabre intrusive thought popped into my head: If I stuck out my arm just a little bit, I’d sever my hand entirely from my arm. A shiver ran down my spine as I attempted to bury the mental image.

I pressed the takeoff button on the center console. For a moment, nothing happened. As I was about to tell Mick that something was wrong, though, the motors whirred louder as the RECON lurched sideways. Before I could react, I felt a weight on my chest and my heart jump into my throat as it lifted me off the ground and into the sky.

Continue reading… “This Flying ATV Might Bring Farming Into a Cyberpunk Future”

Natilus is developing a family of large unmanned cargo aircraft, starting with this twin turboprop model.

By Austin Weber

San Diego has one of the richest aerospace heritages of any city in America. Ryan Aeronautical Co. built Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” aircraft in the mid-1920s. During World War II, Consolidated Aircraft Corp. mass-produced planes such as the B-24 Liberator and the PBY Catalina.

In the 1950s, Convair’s Atlas Launch Vehicle helped usher in the Space Age. And, as everyone who has watched “Top Gun” knows, North Island Naval Air Station is home to some of the best combat pilots in the world.

A startup company called Natilus Inc. is planning to write the next chapter in San Diego’s illustrious aviation history. It is developing a large unmanned cargo aircraft that may someday revolutionize the air freight and logistics industry.

Natilus plans to design and manufacture a family of aircraft that feature a blended-wing body (BWB) configuration. Unlike traditional tube-and-wing airplanes, BWBs combine the wing, body and tail into a single wing that can generate a 30 percent reduction in fuel consumption.

“The blended-wing design with our patent-pending diamond cargo configuration allows for more volume, helping our customers optimize for the reality of today’s e-commerce freight,” says Aleksey Matyushev, CEO of Natilus. “For the same weight of tube-and-wing aircraft, [our plane] will transport more than twice as much revenue cargo for the same trip, lowering costs by 60 percent and reducing CO2 emissions by 50 percent.”

Continue reading… “Unmanned Cargo Plane to Usher in New Era of Freight Transport”

The VX4 is being developed by the UK firm Vertical Aerospace. 

By Stephen Jones and Taylor Rains

• American Airlines pre-ordered 250 VX4 flying taxis from UK aerospace firm Vertical Aerospace. 
• Insider recently saw a prototype of the VX4 unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow 2022. 
• It can carry four passengers up to 100 miles and reach speeds of more than 150 miles per hour. 

Continue reading… “American Airlines has ordered 250 electric flying taxis to ferry passengers around cities at speeds of up to 200 mph. Take a look at the VX4.”

The solar fuel-production plant at IMDEA Energy Institute in Madrid. Scientists are developing a futuristic jet fuel by using water, CO2 and sunlight.

BY SIMONA KITANOVSKA

A carbon-neutral aviation fuel has been developed by scientists. The futuristic fuel uses water, carbon dioxide and sunlight to power jet engines.

Researchers in Switzerland are the first to produce the fuel in a power generator rather than a lab.

The amount of synthetic jet fuel it emits when it combusts in a plane’s engine equals the amount consumed during its production in a solar plant, thus making it carbon neutral.

The fuel will be even greener if the team can capture carbon dioxide from the air in the not-too-distant future and use it in the fuel.

The solar-made kerosene, or jet fuel, is fully compatible with the existing way fuel is stored, distributed, and used in a plane’s engine.

No clean and effective way of flying planes exists today.

Continue reading… “Scientists Develop Futuristic Jet Fuel By Using Water, Sunlight and CO2”

Boom Supersonic is set to build a manufacturing facility at PTI airport later this year for it’s supersonic Overture jet.

By Grace Holland

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The supersonic jet maker on it’s way to the Triad is sending shockwaves with a new design released Tuesday.

Boom Supersonic released new images of the jet it plans to build at PTI in the coming years.

The company is set to break ground on its facility later this year.

Boom Supersonic said its Overture jet concepts were released after it did testing and simulations. The plan is for this to be a supersonic jet, similar to the Concorde but more environmentally friendly.

Boom said the jet will be able to carry up to 80 passengers at twice the speed of today’s jets. It wants to build the plans by 2025 and carry passengers by 2029.

Before it builds the planes, it has to build the factory.

PTI’s Executive Director, Kevin Baker, said there’s been a lot of progress made at the site in the seven months since Boom announced it would come to the airport.

“We’re grading (the site). In fact, we’ve got a lot of the site at grade at this point,” Baker said. “We worked with the company as they lay out their facilities and modify that design. It’s a very fast-paced project and luckily we had a lot of this underway.”

Continue reading… “Boom Supersonic unveils high-speed jet to be built in Greensboro”

Rolls-Royce and Hyundai Motor Group have announced their plans to collaborate on bringing all-electric propulsion and hydrogen fuel cell technology to the AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) market. The partnership will leverage the aviation and certification capabilities of Rolls-Royce and the hydrogen fuel cell technologies and industrialisation capability of Hyundai Motor Group.

Both these companies share a vision to lead the way in the AAM market by delivering battery-electric and fuel cell electric solutions to the UAM (Urban Air Mobility) and RAM (Regional Air Mobility) markets and advancing sustainable aviation.

Continue reading… “Rolls-Royce, Hyundai Motor join hands to fly fuel-cell aircraft in the air by 2025”