Emerging Technologies

Bezos’ space company takes a community approach to build and operate a new space station.

Scandinavian Airlines plans to partner with three fuel-sector companies to investigate large-scale production of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel in Sweden.

The EC and Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Catalyst have launched the EU-Catalyst partnership to accelerate commercial deployment of technologies to help Europe meet its commitment to reduce its net-carbon emissions 55% by 2030.

A European project to demonstrate a modular hybrid-electric propulsion architecture for future small short/medium-range regional aircraft has been completed with flight tests of a second power train demonstrator.

ZeroAvia adds the Dash 8-400 turboprop and CRJ regional jets to planned applications of its hydrogen-electric powertrains.

A company known for lasers, power systems and drones has a plan to break into the elite club of advanced missile and munition suppliers.

Leduc won Aviation Week’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 but had to wait a year to accept it because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interest in reusable rockets revived by SpaceX’s success.

Fly-by-wire taking off; More orbital cleanup plans; Zero-emissions island links; Wing drones go urban; Food giant eyes SAF.

Multidisciplinary design optimization lets engineers spend less time on detailed design and more time considering system requirements.

UK electric air taxi startup Vertical Aerospace has secured additional funding tied to its planned going-public merger with blank-check company Broadstone Acquisition.

New NASA green airliner study to go beyond agency’s sustainable X-plane to include technology for broader reduced environmental impacts.

Fuel-cell cargo drone; Electric air racers; LeoLabs down under; Hydrogen box wing; 100% SAF flights.

South Korea’s stealth plans; U.S. steps toward the E-7; Assembling Safran engines in Texas; and Army signs deal for SAR data integration.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Despite pandemic-related supply chain disruption, the redesigned Eviation Alice is in final assembly ahead of first flight by year-end.

MagniX sees FAA special conditions approval for electric engines for retrofit and new-build as gateway to rapid market growth.

European engineering services company Akka Technologies has unveiled its concept for a zero-emission regional aircraft.

Aircraft finance and asset management company Amedeo has entered a strategic partnership with Aura Aero that includes a letter of intent to purchase 200 of the French startup’s planned 19-seat ERA hybrid-electric regional aircraft.

Diamond e-trainer; Cyclorotor lifts off; VoloDrone in a truck; Fuel-cell test site; and Airflow power options.

Congressional behavior, midterm elections, new technologies and rising startup companies are likely to drive change in the 2020s.

As sharing and analyzing data is proving increasingly effective, Airbus intends to build on the momentum and grow in services.

Despite unprecedented fiscal pressures, Boeing says continuing ecoDemonstrator support is investing in the future as sustainability takes center stage.

Alaska Airlines calls for more support on sustainable fuels as it looks for efficiency gains through ecoDemonstrator involvement.

A decade-long investment by Nammo in solid-fuel ramjets has proven the feasibility of the technology for artillery applications.