SPANISH POLICE FORCE TESTS EHANG eVTOL

The EHang EH216 electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, intended to be used by Spanish National Police, has conducted its maiden flight.

DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHLIGHTS IN evtol Aircraft Highlights from 2022

Last year was eventful for leading eVTOL developers so this feature is taking a look back at the progress some of the major players have made in the past 12 months.

CAR MAKER STELLANTIS WILL MASS PRODUCE ARCHER'S MIDNIGH EVTOL AIR TAXI

Under a new arrangement announced early in January, car maker Stellantis is to produce Archer Aviation's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. Stellantis has also agreed to provide Archer with a further $150 million in equity capital in 2023 and 2024 in a move that significantly deepens a relationship with the Californiabased start-up that began in 2020.

BLUEFLITE PATENTS eVTOL AIRCRAFT DESIGN

Late in 2022 Blueflite's patent for its 'advanced logistics drone platform' was accepted by the US Patent and Trademark Office, covering the 'revolutionary' design of the delivery UAV.

PIPER AND CAE PARTNER TO ELECTRIFY PA-28-180

The Centre Technologique en Aérospatiale (CTA), a Canadian technological concern dedicated to the application of aerospace technologies in cooperation with the École Nationale d'Aérotechnique (ÉNA) of Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, the largest college-level institution for aviation technology in North America, are making ready to convert a Piper Archer aircraft to electric power.

COALITION FORMED TO DEVELOP HYBRID-ELECTRIC TURBOFAN TECHNOLOGY

A group of aerospace technology companies have announced the formation of a collaborative consortium to develop hybridelectric and water-enhanced turbofan technology for future aircraft propulsion systems, supported by the European Union Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (Clean Aviation).

AURA AERO SELLS ELECTRIC GLIDER TOW PLANE

French Sport plane manufacturer Aura Aero has obtained the approval of the French Gliding Federation (Fédération Française de Vol en Planeur, or the FFVP), with their purchase of an electric Integral.

AMPAIRE WINS NASA AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE HYBRID

New AMP drive AMP-H270 configuration for smaller aircraft and distributed propulsion can serve multiple markets.

HENSOLDT DEMONSTRATES ASTUS UAV TO POTENTIAL CLIENTS

Early in December 2022, HENSOLDT South Africa recently held flight demonstrations of its ASTUS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Western Cape for potential customers, showcasing the aircraft’s sensor payload capabilities.

US NAVY TO FLY TWO XQ-58A

Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc., Sacramento, California, has been awarded a $15,515,343 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure and deliver a quantity of two XQ-58A unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with sensor and weapon system payloads to accomplish the penetrating affordable autonomous collaborative killer.

HOW DO DELIVERY DRONES DELIVER?

Drop, lower or land the delivery drone industry has seemed to settle down to three ways of doing business, all of which do just what helicopters do but are smaller. Different ways that delivery drones work have advantages and disadvantages.

Autonomous concepts aiming to drive superiority for tomorrow's war fighter

As the battlefield of tomorrow becomes increasingly complex, BAE Systems' work in developing early lifecycle Uncrewed Aerial Systems capability could play a key role in maintaining critical advantage.

MARS ROVER EXPLORES ANCIENT MARTIAN RIVER DELTA

NASA's Perseverance rover is a car-sized, six-wheeled rover designed to explore the Jezero Crater in Mars's Syrtis Major quadrangle. The crater measures approximately 28-miles in diameter and is thought to have once been flooded with liquid water in which life may have existed. In some Slavic languages, the term 'Jezero' man's lake.

S-PLANE TO CONVERT MWARI TO OPTIONALLY PILOTED AIRCRAFT

South African Paramount Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with S-Plane Automation that will integrate its optionally piloted vehicle solution onto Paramount's Mwari aircraft.

ZEPHATALI WALSH MAKES HISTORY AS WINNER OF THE WORLD'S FIRST FLYING CAR RACE

A landmark moment in both the history of motorsport and the genesis of the flying car mobility revolution has been made in the salt flats of South Australia. Airspeeder pilot Zephatali Walsh beat fellow-competitor Fabio Tischler in a tense and close inaugural EXA remotely piloted race. This was the first time two pilots were given full license to race their 4.1m long eVTOL race-craft blade-to-blade in a fully competitive race setting.

WISK UNVEILS GENERATION SIX eVTOL AIR TAXI PROTOTYPE

The four-passenger, all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is the first candidate for FAA certification for autonomous, passenger-carrying air taxi, the company said.

M3 SYSTEMS, PIPISTREL, VOLOCOPTER COMPLETE DECONFLICTION TESTS

M3 Systems, air traffic (ATM) and management unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operator, light and electric aircraft manufacturer, Pipistrel and Volocopter, a pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), have completed their first joint flight test campaign in France at Pontoise airfield.

FIRST FLIGHT FOR STUDENT-BUILT ELECTRIC SLING

The four-seater was developed and assembled by 20 students at ETH Zurich over two years at Innovation Park in Dübendorf, Switzerland, as part of their studies towards their bachelor's degrees.

PLANS FOR 30-SEAT ELECTRIC REGIONAL AIRLINER

In 2020 the Swedish start-up revealed its 19-seat ES-19. However, Heart Aerospace has now unveiled a design for its 30-seat ES-30 electric regional airliner. During a 15 September event at Heart's Gothenburg headquarters, Air Canada and Swedish aerospace and defence group Saab each committed to investing $5 million in the venture.

FLOATING, FOILING AND FLYING: HOW DOES REGENT'S ELECTRIC SEAGLIDER WORK?

It has been a busy time for progress in electric aviation, with several new aircraft and vehicles taking to the skies for test flights across the world recently, including a new type of vehicle that will transport passengers just a few feet above the surface of the water.

MAIDEN FLIGHT OF THE ELEKTRA TRAINER

On 29 June 2022, a two-seater electric ultralight aircraft Elektra Trainer from Elektra Solar GmbH (a spin-off of the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics) took off for its maiden flight at Memmingen International AirportElectric flying in Germany is becoming a reality step by step.

GENERAL ATOMICS DEVELOPING HYBRID-ELECTRIC ENGINE FOR STEALTHY 'MQ-NEXT' DRONE DESIGN

"We believe that GA is going to pioneer a completely new way to propel airborne air breathing vehicles," said Mike Atwood, the firm's senior director of advanced programmes.

US AIR FORCE TO START NEW EXPERIMENTS WITH BOEING'S MQ-28 GHOST BAT DRONE

The US Air Force is set to begin flight experiments with Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a combat drone developed for the Australian air force that may help its American counterpart learn how to operate unmanned aircraft alongside fighter jets.

Picture of the month.

JOBY DESIGNED FOR DAILY LIFE

UNITED AIRLINES INVESTS ANOTHER US$15 MILLION IN ELECTRIC FLYING TAXI MARKET WITH EVE

On 8 September United Airlines announced a $15 million investment in Eve Air Mobility and a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft plus 200 options, expecting the first deliveries as early as 2026.

URBAN AIR MOBILITY: A FUTURE ALTERNATIVE TO CURRENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT?

In past decades traffic congestion in cities has commonly been increasing, considerably impacting the quality of urban life both from an environmental perspective and on citizen's mental health. Today's measures set by cities aim to dissuade people from using their cars due to increasing road taxes, parking fees, and congestion, but rarely offer alternative means of transportation.

AMERICAN AIRLINES TO ACQUIRE BOOM SUPERSONIC JETS

In a move that speaks to the increasing popularity of legalised gambling, American Airlines, the world's largest passenger air-carrier has entered an agreement to purchase up to twenty of Boom Technology's Overture supersonic airliners. The deal, which contains options for an additional forty aircraft, follows United Airlines' 2021 commitment to purchase 15 Overtures of its own.

RUSSIA UNVEILS MOCK-UP OF ITS FUTURE SPACE STATION

Russian companies Energia Rocket and Space Corporation are currently developing a draft design of the Russian Orbital Station (ROSS) which is expected to be launched in two stages, the country's space agency said without giving exact dates. The first stage would see a four-module space station start operating in the low earth's orbit. That would later be followed by two additional modules and a service platform.

CAN JETPACKS REPLACE HELICOPTERS TO SAVE PEOPLE'S LIVES?

There was a time when jetpacks were part of science fiction. However, thanks to technological advances, jetpacks, devices with back-mounted engines, and handheld controls, have become a reality.

TAWAZUN INVESTS IN HYDROGEN AIRCRAFT PROJECT

The UAE's Strategic Development Fund (SDF), the investment arm of Tawazun Economic Council has invested into the development of a hydrogen-powered aviation programme.