Aerospace

As part of its plan to field a Quiet Supersonic Transport low-boom flight demo, NASA has issued a call for interested companies to submit a “capability statement.”

SideArm grabs Fury UAV; Clean Sky studies hybrid electric; NASA’s radiosonde glider; TsAGI’s stop-rotor helicopter; Airlander ready to fly; Gilat to develop conformal Ka-band.

Helicopter engine manufacturer Safran studies hybrid power systems as a way to reduce turbine engine size and fuel burn.

A passionate believer in the potential for the convergence of electric propulsion and vertical flight to usher in a new era of aviation moves from NASA to ride-hailing giant Uber.

Airline profits may ease as fuel costs rise, the business jet market is likely to get “less bad,” and signs bode well for defense sector growth.

European Union-wide regulation would establish common rules for growing the civil unmanned-aircraft market in member countries.

Kratos has two armed combat drones and a number of secret projects under development for the Pentagon. Its newest design could reach China from Guam.

UTC Aerospace Systems struggled to recover from the setback of losing the F-35 ejection seat competition to Martin-Baker, but with the first customers in hand for its latest ACES 5 the company is targeting domestic and international opportunities.

Once installed, the FAA’s NAS Voice System will allow controllers anywhere to communicate with pilots everywhere.

Braathens Regional Airlines has wanted since 2015 to prove that IATA’s goal of halving emissions by 2050 is attainable in 2025.

Bye battery and solar electrics; Clean laminar flow tests; Airbus composite center wing-box; Otherlab paper UAV; GNSS boost.

Tariff-free trade and the free movement of skilled workers are critical to aerospace—and both are at risk.

Graduate students perform a test-run of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's E-Spirit of St. Louis all-electric two-seater. The modified Diamond HK36, planned for first flight in May coincident with the 90th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, has a 150 hp Yasa liquid cooled automotive electric engine and is designed for an endurance of 1 hr and 45 min using Lithium ion battery packs and custom-designed cooling systems.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and industry are crafting a nine-passenger business aircraft that will merge the best attributes of electric and fossil fuels.

Defense contractors may well find that under the Trump administration some of what worked to create value over the past decade will not work as well.

Wind-tunnel tests verify CFD predictions and clear Boom Technology to build subscale prototype.

The promise of the Internet of Things is large and the data is available, but airlines are not adopting fast enough.

Testing large tiltrotors; DLR’s big freight drone; Sikorsky advances autonomy; nacelles for next-gen turbofans; and other news.

Hope that reduced integration costs will free up funding for more frequent capability upgrades is behind industry’s willingness to embrace open avionics standards and increased competition, says U.S. Air Force.

Extend today’s highway code to the skies or allow vehicles freedom to self-regulate? These are among options for urban unmanned-aircraft traffic control being explored by researchers.

Shark and seal skins, even speed skater’s suits, are inspiring drag-reduction technologies eyed for coating U.S. Air Force transports and tankers to curb jet fuel consumption.

Combined, the companies will have a system portfolio spanning the entire aircraft.

First results seem promising from jointly conducted Boeing-Embraer EcoDemonstrator technology test effort using an E170 prototype.

Lockheed Martin X-56A ready return to flight; Aurora LightningStrike vertical-horizontal transition tests; TsAGI ground-effect transport tested; BAE Systems lasers to create atmospheric lenses; U.S. Army tests Hoverbike for rapid resupply.

Here are signposts to follow as the new administration’s choices on defense unfold.