Aerospace

A version of this article appears in the September 15 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

A version of this article appears in the September 15 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

RD-180 prototype replacement could be ready to test in 2.5 years

Launch of higher-density variants underlies inexorable narrowbody growth trend

The surplus parts market comes of age

After trailing Boeing in sales of new all-electric spacecraft, Airbus has been quick to catch up

Certification regulations are lagging development of electric-powered light aircraft

Operational debut is at risk of further slippage due to a safety-critical engine problem.

Could today’s online giants spark a new era in aviation?

Thermoplastics could finally find more applications in aerospace

Spring and summer setbacks leave many open questions about the airframer’s direction

Has the A&D industry’s conservatism become a liability?

Can an unproven market bring success to unproven aviation concepts?

Rolls-Royce’s future turbofan strategy will leverage European, national and company research

Tests to unravel final hidden hypersonic phenomena will unlock full scramjet potential

An innovative engine cycle conceived for a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) launch concept is attracting interest for possible wider application in several air-breathing hypersonic roles.

Radical new future propeller concepts emerge from integrated concept design studies

Dowty is engaged in an advanced composite design and manufacturing research effort to prepare for a coming wave of new-generation blades, whether they are longer, thinner propellers or large-scale, wide-chord blades for an open rotor.

Turbine-electric propulsion shows promise for keeping aviation’s efficiency improvements going beyond 2030

NASA Langley Research Center has begun tethered tests of the GL-10 Greased Lighting, a 10-ft. wingspan prototype of a hybrid-electric distributed propulsion vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft.

A new approach to supercomputing could be required to tackle aerospace’s hard problems

Improving human-machine interaction crucial as systems become more complex and automated

There is no autopilot for sustaining the industry’s culture of innovation

June-quarter reports highlight international focus and waning war-related demands

Stealth rewrites the rules for the aerodynamics team behind the U.K.’s Taranis UCAV