Tag: Aeronautical

Air Taxis Could Lessen Traffic Issues in Major Cities

The Hill reported that electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxis is a space “saturated with startups trying to get their product to market.” The idea behind this service is to make such travel affordable and ease traffic grid strain while maintaining a green energy profile for the sector.
Full Story (The Hill)

Pratt & Whitney Begins Test of GTF on A320neo

FlightGlobal reports, “Airbus and Pratt & Whitney have started development flight testing of a more efficient PW1100G geared turbofan – known as the GTF Advantage engine – on an A320neo aircraft.” Pratt & Whitney said, “This early flight-test campaign will continue to mature the engine by testing it in a variety of environments, including hot and cold weather and operation from high-altitude airports.” On the GTF, Pratt & Whitney President of Commercial Engines Rick Deurloo said, “[The GTF Advantage engine] enhances aircraft capability by increasing thrust and protects durability by running cooler. For airlines, this means new revenue opportunities and better operating economics. Our revolutionary geared-fan architecture is the foundation for more sustainable aviation technologies in the decades ahead, and the GTF Advantage engine is the next step in that journey.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)

Wisk Aero Unveils New Tiltrotor Aircraft

Aerospace America reports that at a press conference, Wisk Aero unveiled its new tiltrotor aircraft, which features four seats and a 15 meter wingspan. The Generation 6 aircraft, which seats four, “has six booms, each mounted with two propellers. The front six propellers are tilt rotors, while the back six are only for lift and are stowed in an aerodynamic position for forward flight.” In a press release, Wisk said, “With this aircraft, Wisk will redefine long-standing concepts of flight and usher in a safer, scalable, and more accessible era in aviation.”
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Boom Supersonic, Northrop Grumman to Build High-Speed Emergency Response Military Aircraft

SPACE reports that Boom Supersonic and Northrop Grumman announced Tuesday a collaboration to develop “variants of Boom’s supersonic ‘Overture’ aircraft for military and emergency response.” Boom “emphasized its so-far unproven fleet will be able to support vital missions at high speed, bringing passengers and equipment to critical locations faster than the speed of sound.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Iris Automation Partners with Sagetech Avionics for UAV Collision Avoidance

Aviation Today reports that Iris Automation “has just announced a partnership with Sagetech Avionics that will offer uncrewed aircraft a comprehensive air risk mitigation solution.” Sagetech Avionics’ MXS ADS-B transponder will be integrated with Iris Automation’s Casia detect-and-avoid system “via Sagetech’s ACAS X sensor fusion and collision avoidance module. This integration results in a complete air risk mitigation solution for detection and avoidance.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)

Chinese Military Analyst Releases Plan to Hack Starlink

Bloomberg reports that in a paper “published this spring by the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications Technology, a researcher urges the Chinese military to track and monitor every satellite in the sprawling Starlink network.” The paper, published in the Modern Defense Technology journal, reads Starlink “can provide more stable and reliable communication capabilities for the combat units deployed by the US military around the world. On the other hand, it also has the potential to provide high-definition pictures and even live video.” Therefore, Beijing should consider “a combination of soft and hard kill methods” in order to “make some Starlink satellites lose their functions and destroy the constellation’s operating system.” Space Law and Policy Solutions founder Michael Listner said, “This is a national security issue for the Chinese, they’re looking at Taiwan, if something happens, this system could be important for the Defense Department. Starlink offers the US military resiliency. You can hit our systems but we have backup capabilities.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)

Joby Aviation Receives Part 135 FAA Certificate Early

Aviation Today reports that Joby Aviation “announced that it has received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA.” The award of the Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate permits Joby “to begin commercial operations of its electric air taxi.” Joby “originally expected to receive the certificate for its vehicle – an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – in the second half of this year” and commence operations in 2024.
Aviation Today (Aviation Today)

Aviation Industry Considers Hydrogen Power

FlightGlobal reports that during the Sustainable Skies World Summit, The Boeing Company Sustainability and Future Mobility Vice President and Chief Engineer Brian Yutko said aviation engineers faced “a once in a generation renaissance” regarding hydrogen-powered aviation.
Full Story (FlightGlobal)