Angus Batey has been contributing to various titles within the Aviation Week Network since 2009. He has reported from military bases, industrial facilities, trade shows and conferences, on topics ranging from defense and space to business aviation, advanced air mobility and cybersecurity.
After pioneering work by small companies in the United Arab Emirates over a period of several years, the 2017 show saw the emerging sector make some apparently significant breakthroughs. However, the companies that made a splash with exciting presentations and significant announcements two years ago are not exhibiting this year. What's happened?
Raytheon says its Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) will be cleared to fly on the F-35A within days. The certification is expected following the conclusion of operational test flights of the missile on the F-35C earlier this year, which generated sufficient data for weapon integration to be pushed beyond the carrier-optimized variant of the jet.
Aircraft design is all about trade-offs and pushing at the limits. Just ask British firm Condor Aviation, which is designing an aircraft to compete in the forthcoming Air Race E series of electrically powered air races.
