With testing of a subscale uncrewed demonstrator underway in waters off Tampa, Florida, Regent has solidified its maritime certification path with confirmations from U.S. and European aviation regulators that its planned wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) regional transports are not considered aircraft.
Austrian startup CycloTech and Japanese package carrier Yamato have completed a study into the feasibility of developing an uncrewed cargo aircraft using thrust-vectoring cyclorotor propulsion to operate in confined urban areas, even in high winds.
German energy company EnBW and aerospace research agency DLR have launched a three-year project to explore the use of cargo and passenger drones to support the maintenance of offshore wind farms.
Germany’s Lilium has taken another step in the type certification process for its electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi, submitting its means of compliance to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Benefiting perhaps from steadily improving relations between China and Indonesia, EHang has secured its largest commitment to date from an Asian customer with preorders for 100 EH216 autonomous air taxis from Prestige Aviation, an Indonesian aircraft sales and management company.
At first, advanced air mobility flights will be piloted. But the industry widely agrees its aircraft must become autonomous at some point if operations are to scale up to hoped-for high volumes. Rather than if, the debate centers largely on when.
Long-time agency official Lirio Liu will take over as executive director of FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service, replacing Earl Lawrence, who moves to the NextGen Office to become deputy assistant administrator.
German startup Theion is targeting electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft as an early market for solid-state, lithium-sulfur batteries that promise three times the energy density of conventional lithium-ion cells.
Start-up Overwatch Imaging of Hood River, Oregon, has closed an $11 million Series A financing round to advance its precision imaging payloads designed for drones and general aviation aircraft.
The FBO division of Europe’s Luxaviation Group plans to develop ground infrastructure for future advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles as it pursues a growth strategy based on building and acquiring new facilities.
Atlantia, the parent company of subsidiaries that have formed an urban air mobility venture known as Urban Blue, is the target of multiple private equity firms.
Lift Aircraft has been awarded a Phase 3 contract by the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program to continue experimentation and flight tests of its single-seat HEXA electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Hexcel has signed a letter of intent with Archer Aviation to provide high-performance carbon fiber materials for the electric vertical takeoff and landing startup’s production air taxi.
Piasecki is planning to fly an 80-kW fuel-cell powertrain in an off-the-shelf commercial helicopter as a key demonstration step toward development of its PA-890 hydrogen-electric light helicopter.
South Korea’s Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) has secured a 27 billion won ($22 million) investment, primarily for the development of cargo drones powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Helicopter leasing company Lobo Leasing has signed a letter of intent with Pipistrel that includes deposits for the acquisition of 15 Nuuva V300 hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing unmanned cargo aircraft.
Germany’s government has confirmed it is funding a project to modify a Dornier 328 regional turboprop into a flying testbed for zero-emission hydrogen-electric propulsion.
